Ethelred the Viking

Ethelred the Viking was his name And in his journeys he built his fame For his long boats were held in fear When sighted on the horizon near But one day his long boat was becalmed And they drifted for days to Ethelred’s alarm Then at last the wind blew But they lost their way and apprehension grew Then the sky changed to a deep red And they couldn’t tell where they were to their dread Then land was sighted on the eighth day They found a landing spot after searching away So they dragged their boat to shore In a place unlike any other seen and more There were animals on two back legs hopping around And the country was a paradise found Then the days turned into months so long Ethelred’s men wanted to return home all along So they loaded the long boat and set sail Journeying long they made home without fail From that day Ethelred’s did not do well Until finally losing his kingdom with no place to dwell So he became a wanderer across the sea Looking for the elusive land he found once to live on free But he couldn’t find the land again And his wanderings became legend Some say that at sundown when the sky is red If you look out to see you can see Ethelred. © Paul Warren Poetry