Years ago I did so choose, to go on a Caribbean clipper ship cruise,
and, in addition to several other islands,
anchored off Nevis, northwest of Saint Kitts,
where, in the late 1780's, Nelson had lived,
and still bears traces of his presence today,
in various parts, pieces and bits.
When our windjammer Skipper informed us,
'Shopping here's good, snorkeling is bad,'
I avoided the former, sought out the latter,
and, as a matter of fact, a good time was had,
for no sooner had I ducked under,
two feet from the waterline,
in about one foot deep (shallow) water,
tho' visibility was, in inches, no more than nine,
I espied a white clay churchwarden pipe,
which I retrieved, broken, not whole,
with one third of the stem, and most of the tobacco-burned bowl.
1787, Nelson married the widow Fanny Nisbet on Nevis,
and, as the island he was about to depart,
'Desist smoking or else!'
Horatio may have heard her insist or impart,
and that which I found, I've a mind to say,
was his very last pipe, he'd reluctantly tossed overboard,
on that sunny day, when, as Captain of Boreas, he sailed away.
There is a fair measure in things
there is a middle ground in everything
there must be order even in the mess
est modus in rebus
Did Nelson give one scintilla
about France’s silly flotilla?
No! Nor was he bashful at court,
though of the quite gaseous sort,
as his farts smelled of vanilla.
With his heat protective suit
And his cape of perfect red
He had his yellow helmet
Fastened securely on his head
He felt like the superhero
That he really truly was
But it didn’t always go to plan
And this was because…
No one would believe him
When he spun inside his wheel
That by night he would escape
And it all became quite real
The other superheroes
To Horatio were cruel
They said he wasn’t super
A hamster was too small
But he showed them all
When on one blustery night
His attention got attracted
To an orange flickering light
He heard a lady shouting
Her house burnt and blazed
But he was a superhero
Horatio wasn’t phased
He flew down to the window
And used his super powers
He picked her up in his paws
And they landed in the flowers
No one could believe it
But the ‘sorrys’ were enough
Because Horatio had proved
That he was just as tough!
Thou
great
son
of
the
land!
Salute!
Salute!!
We
Salute
thee!!!
An
unwavering
patriot,
undaunted
mountain.
British
admiral
and
nava
hero.
Toulon
submitted
to
thy
naval
prowess.
At
Calvi,thy
right
eye
was
obliterated,thou
was
not
shaken.
Thy
prominient
role
led
to
victories
off
Cape
Saint
Vincent,the
nile
battle;
great
conqueror,Napoleon
Advanced
not
cos
of
thy
heroic
strikes.
With
amputated
left
hand,thou
took
on
with
the
battle-
cry
for
thy
fatherland.
Created
Duke,a
vice-
admiral,more
services
thou
accepted:
in
battle
of
Copenhagen,thy
rare
abilities
manifested-
in
gratitude,a
Viscount
thou
became.
Battle
of
Trafalgar
1805
French
and
Spanish
fleets
were
crushed.
Thy
personal
charge
in
thy
flagship"victory"
defeated
the
invasion
of
Napoleon.
Oh!
How
hath
the
mighty
fallen,forfeiture
of
thy
life,
a
paid
price
for
victory.
Rest
great
son
of
Britain,
for
in
hearts
of
all,thou
breatheth!
spiral darker
deeper down
ever starker
viral rounds
sing out somber, to the seas
of tears of floods, uprooted trees,
the flotsam the jetsam
the waste and ennui
barred walls of this cyclonic me
this caged vortex of the sea
this maelstrom of my
infinity
for Bacchus loved Neptune
and they both hate me
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