Captain cook
I built a ship in a vale of stones and thorny bushes
It took 24 years and more to set sail on a dream
boat to China
I met her on the blue sea of Malaga, sailed on her
til she was 71, sought refuge in coastal waters
anchorage in the town of Mandalay
Deep sea ships have limited sails from port to port
are not allowed to stray from the chart, set by the man
in charge; every ship looks the same, is practical and sleepless.
Not. once did they let me be in charge; go back to your galley, you mad cook, they bellowed, you will only collide with the Dogger bank.
I built my ship, four decks, and a bridge
too far from shore to be of annoyance to anyone
The locals called me Captain Brave Heart, the man who
cleared the dale of snakes.
I'm tired, it took so long to be a slayer of words
ankle-deep in sad rejections.
I'm the master of my literary refusals, words
to feed the flame of elimination
Let me teach you a thing or two
Passed down from elders’ past,
You won’t learn this from library books
Nor technology contrast.
About so-called Australia
About the frontier wars,
About all of my ancestors…
Shot dead upon the shores.
Captain Cook discovered Australia
In my ears they drilled,
School salute the flag of loot
No mention of the skilled…
Cunningly shaping weapons and tools;
For white man broke the lores
Protecting women and children;
Black men in frontier wars.
How they shocked Aboriginals;
The aliens from overseas…
Ordered and rewarded
To hang them all from trees.
When they killed most of the men
Hence minority about,
They raped the women and the girls
To breed the black right out.
Complete success they did not have
As “Australia” tried a-building,
Evilness again transpired
Stealing all the children.
My Mother, My Nana, My great Nan,
All stolen from their parents
The Australian Government did it again-
For slavery insurance.
So the word is out
In most of the Pacific places
Captain Cook sailed to on his voyages
Local laws and customs were broken
And he was lucky to not be killed
For these offences by the local people
But he was a great navigator who knew
Where he was on the planet
At all times in his voyages
When his luck ran out on Hawaii
When the natives killed him in a property dispute
And his men had to leave his body
The natives took his body
And boiled it down for his bones
But they returned his hands and his buttocks
To his shipmates to honour him
So what was left of Cook was buried at sea
As was fitting for the great sailor and navigator that he was.
© Paul Warren Poetry
It wasn't in India, it wasn't even here,
rather, where you wanted it to be my dear,
I don't like the food and all the old fogeys,
they all just sit there picking their bogeys.
We tell stories: some chap worked for Unilevers,
was he selling Mars bars in Africa - would you believe us?
I was there - they ask me: 'Why did you return?'
I'll tell you: 'Before my balls started to burn.'
Before I was hacked like Captain Cook in the South Seas,
my time was over when I was the 'bee's knees,'
however, I miss the wide open spaces when heart races,
due to sky and horizon with great interfaces.
Now I'd like the time back when I saw a cheetah in my path,
If they asked me: 'Did it hurt?' 'Only when I laugh.'
I was Indiana, riding with rifle pointing ahead,
then Cassanova, lost count of how many in my bed,
as Sitting Bull, I looked down directing my braves,
I passed under an arch, giving one of Cleopatra's waves.
Tried to change history - it wasn't Custer's last stand,
as Columbus, I called America India, got mixed up with the land,
we couldn't have Captain Cook murdered by a bunch of savages,
Moses didn't take any tablets - just lots of stone pages.
We knew that Nelson was gay when he said: 'Kiss me Hardy,'
and Napoleon was shunted off to St. Helena reluctantly,
I prevented 'The Maid of Orle'ans' from being burnt at the stake,
Fagin asked me to pick pockets - it was more than I could take.
Then back to the beginning - maybe Tutenkamen would do,
which exotic personage could you emulate if it was you?
Australia the lucky country but not for all,
It's time to tell a tale that's not so tall.
The country's past is dark and really no mystery,
Most people know the country has a black history.
Captain Cook arrived, things would never be the same,
Two decades later the natives felt nothing but pain.
In 1788 eleven ships arrived to occupy their land,
But the Aboriginal people said no and took a stand.
Violent acts of resistance followed, many fought but lost,
This invasion was so similar to the Tasmanian holocaust.
Harassment, persecution, white Australia's illegal activities,
More than 200 years of discrimination against Oz's aborigines.
Racking and stacking them in prison, they're living in hell,
No justice for Eddie Murray who was found dead in a cell.
Police showed no remorse or regret when Ian Ward was literally cooked to death.
And why do people celebrate invasion day?
January 26th is just a disrespectful display.
They're still suffering, still neglected, still living among violence,
The world needs to take notice of the great Australian silence.
We docked the ship
dropped anchor in the bay
headed for the shore
pulling oars all the way
the Captain at the helm
the Scientist at his side
the joy in his face
had no place to hide
look at the Botany
was all he could say
then Captain Cook said
call it Botany Bay
What is this flower perched like bird on stem
With tiny feathery florets in pews
Aligned along rows on cylinder heads?
Tis Banksia, native of Australia.
Named after botanist Sir Joseph Banks,
Who sailed on "Endeavour" with Captain Cook
To unearth Australia, the Great South Land
With shores bedecked with Banksia flowers.
Not a rose with its gaudy petal flush
Nor a daffodil or iris pendants
Nor ring of daisy petals stuck to sun
But hundreds of small flowers pinned on heads
Plethora of colors, earthy and rare
Red, yellow, brown, cream, white and orange hues
The colors of dawn and dusk and the moon
The colors of soil in the dry parched land.
Flower candles on candelabra bush
Arise like flames from sharp serrated leaves
Lighting the Australian bush with color
A pleasure, joy, delight to see in bloom
Enjoy Banksia flowers in gardens
As picked in vase they look so out of place.
Better still, see them in their native scrub
Outback of Dwellingup and way beyond.
Captain Cook he had a chook
But eggs it wouldn't lay,
So he ate the chook and now he's crook,
He cockle-doodle-doos all day.
Captain Cook he had a horse
But the horse it wouldn't run,
So he ate the horse as a main course,
Now he neighs in the noon day sun.
Captain Cook he had a cat
But the cat it wouldn't meow,
So he ate the cat, now he's so fat,
His belly-button just went pow!
-more poems like this can be found at:
kidscomedypoetry.com.au
Captain Cook was cruising in Hawaii
Yes,he deserved better fate, no wifi
But his lucky star smiled
He found Venus beguiled
He nailed his colours to the mast, said, "Hi"
Captain Cook.
I built a ship in a vale of stones and thorny bushes
it took 24 years and a bit more .
from here I set sail on the dream boat to China.
I met her in the blue sea off of Malaga, sailed
on her to she was 71 and sought refuge in coastal
water and anchorage in the bay of Mandal.
Deep sea ship are so limited, they only sail from
port to port and are not allowed to stray from
the chart set by the man in charge; and every ship
looks the same, practical and sleepless.
Not once did they let me be in charge go back to
your galley you mad cook, they bellowed, you´ll
only collide with Dogger Bank, so I built my own
ship, four decks and a bridge too far from shore
to be of annoyance to no one and the locals call
me captain brave heart, the man who cleared
the dale of snakes.
Located where, is Heaven, on these maps?
Cleverly hidden in Epitaphs?
Perchance in Stars seen from afar-
Or buried with Captain Cook, perhaps?
far back in 278 Anno Domini
Emperor Claudius II had hung
a holy priest called Valentine,
Captain Cook on the 14th of '79
having circumnavigated his life was
not a God, so killed by native blood line
the Teddy Bear's 14th felt sorrowfully
when lost to him on that day in '84
his mother, Mittie, and wife, Alice Lee
that was the day back in '29
when thugs gunned down thugs
their revenged vendetta time
same time as Chicago gunned down
penicillin was also discovered
supplanting the sulfa drugs around
dehydrated with fever oozing out
virally you left too that 14th day
leaving me with a sorrowed doubt
so remembered year after year
love's shot in the heart
of those brothers we hold dear
in some future 14th to come, perhaps
my loving lover's gaze I'll remember
handing some flowers, a love relapse
© Goode Guy 2012-02-09
for my closest brother