Henry Morgan the Privateer
Henry Morgan was an admiral of the Royal Navy
In his time, commissioned, but most found him crazy
Such that the Spanish called him a pirate rebellious
Whilst he considered himself with the truth not hazy
He took Campeche in 1663 as a captain
And attacked Spanish ships off Mexico’s main
Whilst disobeying his boss, Thomas Modyford
But not one of his crew did ever complain
Modyford came onto Morgan’s side in righteousness
Told Charles II where to go, called him piousness
And so Morgan became somebody in Jamaica in dignity
Irrespective of the king’s warnings against his faithlessness
Mansvelt then helped Morgan attack another settlement
Then he headed for Spain, to Providence for the instalment
But the buccaneers could not run the town effectively
So Spain retook it, and Modyford reproved their impeachment
Morgan then imprisoned many Spaniards without question
Wearing bright, dazzling silk, gold and jewels for adulation
So people talked about him and his reputation won him
The best pirates in the land, only those with a commendation
The Spanish were threatening to attack Jamaica grand
So he took his men to sack Puerto Principe on the Island
But as they were short of food and water most precious
They left Havana and had things stolen out of their hand
He took Portobello, which sent a strong message around
And then attacked the Spanish main, they were bound
But had a drinking accident that night, so became depleted
And put the French against him, this Englishman so found
But some French men who were his prisoners knew a town,
Maracaibo, which he did raid, albeit difficultly and with a frown;
He succeeded, but by a fire bomb plan and by faking an attack,
Which Modyford disapproved of, but no punishment was thrown.
Spain then took their chance when Morgan’s fleet was small,
But Morgan became the chief of Jamaica’s ships, its haul,
And so he regained his status as a pirateer, not a pirate,
To head for an assault on Panama, the Caribbean coast tall.
But since Spain had a Panama treaty with the land of England,
Morgan was stopped by the English for being a rough hand,
But he just claimed ignorance of this statute, legislation,
And became the governor of Jamaica, and did stalwartly stand.
However, in old age he was replaced by Thomas Lynch, a rival,
Because he was unhappy with British links to Jamaica, convivial,
And so gained an horrific amount of weight, did slip and regress,
And undid his reputation, replacing it for drunkenness trivial.
Copyright © Dominique Webb | Year Posted 2015
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