As Ever Like the Sun & Moon at War

6- ☾☾ -II

Below the deck they rush to th'armoury,

and Captain takes a pair of cutlasses

whilst our Pariah loads a crossbow up

and takes a single cutlass from the rack.

The Captain grabs his shoulder as he slides

the blade into his belt and says to him:

"Ye go around the starboard, I the port,

to make for sure the piercers be releas'd

before impacting with this other ship,

which by me estimate should be in three—                10

four minutes at the most, or not a day

I've travell'd on the Sea in all me life."

Pariah nods and runs into the hall

to find a section of the ship in which

there's many sailors winching massive spikes

to rise up from their storage vertical

and take a horizontal-poising stance

before the cylinders are slid through gaps

in th'hull and lock'd in place t'remain outside

should anything—but namely th'other hull                20

of their attacking ship—press on the spikes,

so they're more like to snap like slivers in

its side than slide returning to their place.

Pariah rushes down the corridor

and takes a rope unmann'd to hoist a spike

on creaking winches til it's lying flat

whereat the sailor who began to watch

him pull the rope now takes the cylinder

and rams it through its gap and pulls the clasp

beginning now to twist its tight'ning crank                30

before a crash of splint'ring wood and steel

erupts and pierces into th'hull, which throws

the sailor to the wall upon the end

of th'enemy's opposing naval spike

to cough and bleed his life upon its length.

Pariah stands again and puts a hand

upon the wall to stabilize himself

throughout the shaking of the clashing ships.

A panic takes a hold of him and he

now rushes up a ladder, down a hall                40

toward the quarters that he shares with Spouse

whereat he finds her pulling back her hair

with shaky hands, a ribbon in her teeth,

which skilfully she ties to hold it back.

She turns to him and ere a word is spoke

he takes her in his arms and says to her:

"I'm glad thou'rt safe. A worry took my mind