Sir Morgan: the Man Who Saw Crime Pay

Sir Henryi Morgan lived a life
of rags to riches.  In his time,
he first was an indentured slave.
When freed, he drifted into crime.

The century was seventeenth,
The New World under Spanish rule.
A pirate Morgan had become,
and to the Spaniards he was cruel.

Sir Morgan managed to become
the captain of his own large crew,
controlling many ships and men.
This Welshman had a lot to do!

With Mansfield, Morgan sailed southwest,
there plundering St. Catherine.
Escaping, he sailed elsewhere then
assembling seven hundred men.

A raid in Cuba yielded him
A very hefty sum of gold.
To Portobelo he then sailed.
Five hundred men they were, all told.

Four hundred men marched forth with him
To Portobelo; then again
he raided other towns and gained
himself prestige plus ships and men.

At last he made his boldest move.
On Panama he set his sight.
In jungle land, he cunningly
took risks and won this major fight.

A pillager and murderer,
in England he was later tried.
Yet in the end, he saw crime pay.
Respectable and rich he died!


For Joe Maverick's "A storm on the Spanish Main" Poetry Contest
Copyright © | Year Posted 2015

Poem

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Roberts Avatar
February 8, 2016 at 2:06 PM
Congratulations Andrea ....Seren
Gentry Avatar
February 8, 2016 at 10:45 AM
Congratulations Andrea on your win!
May Avatar
February 8, 2016 at 8:28 AM
Very informative write Andrea...I didn't know he was an indentured slave...Congrats on the win
Selfa Avatar
February 8, 2016 at 8:27 AM
Congratulations Andrea! You truly are deserving! :)-HANS
Kimathi Avatar
February 8, 2016 at 7:33 AM
Hi Andrea. Congrats for your top placement in the contest!!! ;-)
A   Avatar
February 7, 2016 at 7:51 PM
Nice win
Roper Avatar
February 7, 2016 at 5:34 PM
Congratulations on your win, Andrea!
Haight Avatar
February 7, 2016 at 4:40 PM
Wow, Andrea, a nice piece of history, and you met the challenge so well with this great poem. Congratulations on your podium win! Hugs, Sandra
Allison Avatar
February 7, 2016 at 4:13 PM
Many congrats on your win:-) hugs Jan xx
Gasun Avatar
January 16, 2016 at 12:48 AM
Hello my very dear friend, Andrea! I'm glad I've found your entry. This is absolutely excellent my dear friend! I know the sponsor will love this as much as I do. Thank you so much for reading mine. In fact, I tried to write for this topic out of curiosity to both rubaiyat and life of Sir Morgan. Furthermore, I also wanted to support our dear friend's contest since I saw that there were still 3-4 entries that time i think. Again, thank you so much. Love lots and hugs, Leonora
A   Avatar
December 30, 2015 at 11:01 PM
Andrea, I'd never close the year on poetry soup, without saying thank you to all the poets on my favorite list. Wishing you the best this coming year **2016** Happy New Year... Always & Forever ~LINDA~
Walker Avatar
December 14, 2015 at 6:56 PM
I don't like History but you made it fun and worth reading.
Babcock Avatar
December 12, 2015 at 2:45 PM
Interesting story on this poem. Enjoyed this one.love phyl
Laurie Avatar
December 7, 2015 at 7:46 PM
Hello Andrea... a history lesson for me and put together well in a poetic setting - well done and good luck Andrea - Lindsay
Kendrick Avatar
December 5, 2015 at 5:06 AM
The title caught my attention plus the name...If I remember correctly he didn't even live to be fifty years old..Memory fails me sometimes..Third line on the third from the last stanza check it out..I will soup mail you another reason it caught my attention..Reads like a winner for the contest..Thanks for the visit to my page..Yes, I was inspired by that contest but not really sure if my work would qualify as an entry since you recognized it as fitting that contest it might be okay..Sara
Maverick Avatar
December 5, 2015 at 1:10 AM
You have done, so well here Andrea.' A lot of background and good storyline, looking at this, and the timespan to our day.' world events, all that has changed is technology..'
Muideen Avatar
December 4, 2015 at 4:51 PM
Thank you for sharing this gem______ a very excellent poem.........A.M.
Allison Avatar
December 4, 2015 at 10:22 AM
This is a challenging contest you did a great job - good luck in the contest:-) hugs Jan xx
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