Archegonium, arcanum.
Shaped like a flask or tom-tom drum.
Sagebrush and pitcher plant, sweet wine.
Red rhinoceros, yohimbine.
Ricochet, round rebound ride roil.
Oracle, bad dreams within boil.
Karyon, at the center found?
Nucleus, cell. Synapse, surround.
Terminal, termite, thermite, torch.
Chew through the floorboards. Borax, scorch.
Yataghan, yashmak, christen clepe.
Hound, underground linger and leap.
Ktenology by kumiss?
Knissomancy, thy kurtosis?
Yperite, yon ypsiliform.
Poisonous gas, the foe keep warm.
Yonderley yucca, yex yusho.
Stain their skin as you kill them slow.
Xiphoid, thy sword-shaped clenching force.
O katabothron, at thy source.
Xography, cast a xoanon.
Tridimensional, O black swan?
Ballerina, thy blessed balm.
Dancing like dew down frond of palm.
Keckle the kedge, keelhaul the keeve.
Languidly, liquor, lest love leave.
Kier filled with kilderkins of kif.
Cannabis grown by coral reef.
Oceanic rift, occipital.
Taligrade, talionic, trull.
Knarred knobber, knubble. Knor, sore knout.
Krasis, kraurosis. Crisis, clout...
"Thou a cacodemon" jeered the crowd.
She heard all those voices , clear and loud.
They stormed and cowed her down.
All they wanted was to see her drown.
Tired of all the incessant goad.
She chose to lurk in her abode.
She's now another dancing clown.
With griefs that weigh her down. ??
Captain Tabby Longtail stands
Like Ahab at the helm,
His Jolly Roger flying high
Above his salty realm.
He’ll keelhaul your scurvy carcass
If you give him any bull,
And he’ll make you walk the plank, mate,
If his food dish isn’t full.
I starts me life as pirate,
A grommet before age twelve,
Not an ordinary bandit,
High sea adventures me delve.
With a Letter of Marque in me han’
And the Commodore for me pa!
I spends dogwatch near the helmsman,
Nerey missin’ me bonny ma.
Old salts tell their gory tales,
Aye, dogs hanging from the gallows.
Punishments for a man who fails
Floggings or keelhaul; blood bath follows.
Scrimshaw hangin’ ‘round me neck.
A privateer by trade,
Flaunting booty on the deck
We’s the scallywags brigade.
Pirateering is me heartthrob.
I dreams schemes in the crows nest.
‘bout takin’ swag from an unfortunate swab.
I sits watchin’ pa from the crest.
Long nines aimed and ready,
Jolly Roger on the mainmast,
Headway fast and steady,
The enemy’s fate forecast.
One for all and all for one!
Drinkin’ grog an’ eatin’ grub.
Werkin’ on the “Morning Sun”
Me father at the hub.
Davy Jone’s locker, me final plight!
Death drifting in me beloved sea –
Straightway from the dark of night
The pirate’s life for me!
© July 15, 2010
Dane Smith-Johnsen
You let them persist and say nothing at all.
Your futures dissolve and fortunes free fall.
Critics add nothing but choice caterwaul.
Stand up and resist or do nothing at all.
You let them persist and say nothing at all.
Cowards shout wildly in visions so small.
Few stalwart sailors and those they keelhaul.
Stand up and resist or do nothing at all.
You let them persist and say nothing at all.
Each face grows forlorn as cretins loom tall.
They lack everything save venom and gall.
Stand up and resist or do nothing at all.
You let them persist and say nothing at all.
The vultures swoop in. The hyenas maul.
Consume your courage. Roll up in a ball.
Stand up and resist or do nothing at all.
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