Bon Voyage

The story goes that men have only one thing on their mind But down throughout the ages there are men far more refined Sometimes man is called upon to do the righteous thing And carry out the wishes of his one almighty King * The boat backlit by sunshine was a jet black silhouette It’s meant to rain but I can see no sign of that as yet Predator and prey all jostled, keen to earn a place And some tried hard to imitate a not yet chosen face A sudden coolness in the air, a change I understand And sure enough the rain began to fall upon the sand The rumours had the birds and beasts assembled on the beach But animals are never sure which God they should beseech To save the boat from ruptures I filed down their claws and horns What a shame the lions ate one of the unicorns Whoever brought mosquitoes, take a one way trip to hell and if you brought tarantulas then you can go as well It’s hard to comprehend the water now above my feet The rain so harsh it flails the skin like hailstones sharp as sleet. Of creatures not yet boarded some are jostling many braying Some, resigned, just bow their heads as though they might be praying The last two creatures half way up the boarding ramp look back And then resume their brief ascent beneath a sky now black The water now is at my knees, I hear small creatures cry As I wade to the boarding ramp and climb to where it’s dry I turn and hold a palm against my chest and bid farewell To all the beasts forlorn and lost and who I can’t wish well The fate of all but two from every breed assembled here Is sealed by word from up above and they are lost, I fear I close my ears to all horrific squeals from far and wide The waters now have risen more and this is not the tide The boat is now afloat, the ramp is up, secured in place And we set sail to start anew if we should find God’s grace So many days adrift and praying that we shall not sink There's water, water everywhere and all I do is think The birds and beasts are restless and their waste is foul and rank Would it not be better if we pulled the plug and sank At last the rain has stopped but will the water please recede And offer up some land on which the beasts can all be freed But should we find some high ground after all these days at sea I pray there’ll be an olive tree… I’m gasping for a pee * And so it came to pass, that we set foot upon dry land I told my wife, “We have to multiply… you understand?” She said, “We’ve been through thick and thin, yet here and now I find It’s clearly true that men have only one thing on their mind.”