No More Sojourn

Sonnet, you beckon me with your allure. Valiant ship from a distant shore Resting, no more sojourn Basking in glory of a distant past Lowered mast once battered and blown An emblem of pride and place From boundless rushes, to a windless pace Now laid bare of all innocence Meekly, humbly retired All aboard was the captain’s word As the crew came rushing on With hands on decks and the compass set To carve a story not yet heard A seafarers’ life of no regrets While cavaliers seek their bounty And fortune favours the brave You set sail from old Blighty Sending the good and mighty To watery graves Now in retirement you bask and bathe As the tides doth ebb and flow Rising and descending your mood does shift Whilst along your flanks assorted remnants drift In the silted bed of the Thames your now reside Dancing to the rhythm of a seasonal tide Whilst aboard, there is a tossing and a turning In the warmth of comfy beds Lays the bodies of weary heads Painted lady, red, gold and green On my canvas you are drawn As on the pages I do scribe Of a beauty and a guile Never to be erased from my memory For your dye is truly cast, Unforgettably.