Galley Slave
Galley Slave
Unsung heroes of the open sea,
Not captain, nor navigator he,
Not the brave sailors before the mast,
The lowly ship’s cook we think of last,
Who makes meals from hardtack ‘n jerky.
Seamen always needed a ship’s cook,
A chef who needs no recipe book,
In the boat’s kitchen, known as “galley”,
Prep food to please, no time to dally,
What’s in the larder, fish on the hook?
Despite oft’ stormy seas and wild waves,
Capable cook always dinner saves.
The crew is happy and eats quite well,
Holding their plates against ocean swell.
Ship’s heart is the honored galley slave.
So, when we made the yacht our new home
Each of us chose our favorite zone.
My heart, my wife, was naturally
In command of the big boat’s galley.
While I sought supplies and shined the chrome.
“Galley Slave” was her title, self-named,
Her happy cruise hosting widely famed.
But the creative cook also dreamed
That seas would wait for more school, she deemed.
This ship’s cook was a dame with a brain.
It began as a project for class,
Graphic Design her dream at long last,
Then became college competition,
Each to submit their best rendition
Of letters from work tools to be cast.
So, the consummate chef used cook’s tools
To form alphabet letters, so cool!
The professor judges were all wowed,
Now back at sea, Galley Slave so proud.
Delivering dreams can be the rule!
August 8, 2019
Contest: Devotion to Ocean
Sponsor: Chantelle Anne Cooke
First Place
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a
Premium Membership.
