At break of fuchsia dawn to paint the crest
of sea's horizon, th'anchor's made aweigh
and sails drop to catch the winds inside
whilst th'hull's connection to its berth is cut,
and on the lapping waters doth begin
the ship to glide on glassy surfaces
provided by a wind against the sea
which carries them away and stills the tide.
The Captain's at the helm and barks commands
toward his sailors rushing to and fro 10
to carry out his orders with the haste
he's come t'expect of sailors in his crew,
or else they're not for long aboard his ship,
whilst they, the joyful crew, sing songs to keep
in time with one another as they work
in order that their trip doth smooth remain
to see them safely t'ward the other shore.
Inside their quarters underneath the deck,
upon a bed of straw, a tiny space,
our Pilgrim and the Spouse are waiting out 20
th'initial launch where things are busiest
before they're on the open waters, which
should make it calmer up above the deck
except in moments of disaster few,
and though our Pilgrim knows a thing or two
about the sailing of a ship, he's told
he'd only wreck the synergy of theirs
if he contributed, so he should not,
which dothn't bother him as it's been long
since laying down his hands upon a rig. 30
But though he's rusty in the many ways
of sailing, Spouse is curious to know
what sort of life he led before began
his pilgrimage, and so she asks about
this time he's mention'd ere, to which he gives
an answer stating that the city which
presided o'er his town impos'd a law
to make conscription mandatory there
upon two decades' age and til the next,
so at the age of twenty did he join 40
the navy, as their purpose was protect
the merchant ships for trade with foreign lands
instead of fighting and invading them
as th'army's infantry was made to do,
and this did better resonate with him,
a lowly Preacher propagating peace.
The Spouse then asks if ever he was forc'd
YOU ARE READING
As Ever Like the Sun & Moon at War
PoetryA troubled Pilgrim sets upon a road in search by sun and storm of paradise; a vain Pariah's banish'd from his home to render justice by the moonlit night: two individuals who share a flesh, each unalike in methods and beliefs, yet fated consequence...
