Lullaby for the Lost
Upon dark waters' furious storm
lies in wait, void and without form,
in the deep sleeps the Kraken of Nought,
to devour your world if you be caught.
If you should know how to swim away,
then from woeful end you can belay --
but if at once, you, should he eat,
know he cannot make you incomplete.
For if you should stand in abyss alone,
surrounded by dark, fearful unknown,
does not mean you are forever lost
even though from escape you may exhaust.
Although we fear that we will drown,
have hope that some way will be found.
For if you stand, then you exist--
by presence have negated the lone abyss.
From clap-trapped jaws you shall emerge
into the arms of others to converge
all trying on their eternal quest
to discover what in life is best
And so you can rest from false surmise,
sleep now my sweet, close your wearied eyes.
And the Kraken of Nought may take his leave
back into his world of make believe.
Blue Bottle Pier
Some men get wore down by the world's toil and strife,
Others are beaten by the heart ache of life.
A few have shameful regrets they'd never tell another man;
Fewer still were broken before they ever began.
No matter the reason why they don't want to confide,
Their worries and follies and tears are welcome inside
At the Blue Bottle Pier down by the ocean's shore,
Where the moonlight stops at the old saloon door.
It's always cheerful at the Sharkpen Grin:
Hot meals and beds welcome all sorts of men.
And Sailor's Delight has all night jumpin' and jivin'
to the sound of the guitar and the fiddle and violin.
But there ain't no place for those who're barely survivin'--
Except for the one at the end of the beach
That no one except the wandering ever reach.
The Blue Bottle Pier, where the sun never rises--
Where the flotsam and jetsam come to take off disguises--
Where bartender nor patrons ever chastises,
For each knows his fault and others see it in each's eye.
And all think they've congregated each night to die,
But each feels better when he pays his tab and waves goodbye.
So the next night he wanders through the sand and moonlight maze,
Past the crash of the waves and the star's hovering gaze
To sit by the glow of other broken men trying to fix their ways.
Now I got a bottle of jack and this dark bar den,
And a tooth pick hangs from the corner of my chin.
And the shadow on my face tells of the hopelessness settin' in.
Nobody says a thing but "How's it goin' man?"
Everyone knows why anyone shows up here;
Pour themself a shot and swing their hands silently in cheer.
This ain't a place to laugh, joke, fight, or jeer--
Always open for the broken, it's The Blue Bottle Pier.
The Jaded Coral
The clouds ahead covered the moon, most translucently
Clear as ever for those who endeavor, an eternal guarantee
For some captain, duke, count, admiral, or even a marquis
A light for those who wish to discover - how to be set free
An ancient ship from days of old floated fairly nigh
As if to come just in sight to whisper so that I'd reply
I'll wait and listen til the end, to hear it's final goodbye
Take my command into stride with a fair, "Aye, Aye."
Out upon the lavender sky, it rocks with all the waves
Amidst the darkest heart of waters it takes something to the grave
The secret lying in its mast, a shipwright who did engrave
A way to freedom in every board, to save every man the slave
I sat in wait, long all night, digging into the sand
A hole I dug fiercely, watching it ever expand
Blinded by a sudden flash, a name shone through my hand
Here was what I had looked for, time to make a stand
With nothing but myself to witness the story of the ship
I paced about the darken'd shore recording this very script
On sandy parchment with a conch I wrote with fearsome grip
The only evidence that will ever be, of the Jaded Coral's crypt
Out upon the lavender sky, it rocks with all the waves
Amidst the darkest heart of waters it takes something to the grave
The secret lying in its mast, a shipwright who did engrave
A way to freedom in every board, to save every man the slave
The longer I sat there to watch, the larger the ship became
Until, at least it seemed, as if I were there the same
The crew scurried furiously, the Cap'n did proclaim
Every man to his post, we'll beat the sea at its game
But choppy waves tumbled in, and the wind cared not to blow
And those not careful were cast aside into the ocean far below
With a mighty roar the Captain yelled, "Grab an oar and row!"
Nowhere did they move that night, caught in the lunar woe
Out upon the lavender sky, it rocks with all the waves
Amidst the darkest heart of waters it takes something to the grave
The secret lying in its mast, a shipwright who did engrave
A way to freedom in every board, to save every man the slave
When the moonlight hits the sea, but not up on the shore
The barnacles speak to the fish - in a rapturous rapport
Beckoning the sails to the bottom until forever more
With only foam to show, it melts to the ocean floor
And those who watch the sinking of the fabled Jaded Coral
Can see the sailors squabble, fight, and scream in eternal quarrel
As the Cap'n fades away he recites the sea's final moral
The mariner's time to chip in, and so goes down the choral
Out upon the lavender sky, it rocks with all the waves
Amidst the darkest heart of waters it takes something to the grave
The secret lying in its mast, a shipwright who did engrave
A way to freedom in every board, to save every man the slave
The Crooked Eel
Captain, kind Captain,
Tell us a tale -- of
Booty, blood, buccaneers,
Sea serpents, and oceanic fears.
Tell us of beautiful nights,
Lovely sights, and the easy life.
Show us the way and teach us right,
And let your imagination be our sight tonight.
Fine are your words but finer still,
is the Tale of the Crooked Eel.
Keep on drinking boys and listen up,
For the tale I tell is about your cup.
Ocean horizon covered by the mist
And squalls push whitecaps forth.
Sandy empires failingly resist,
Borealis flying East by North
With his nightcaps and sheets,
Maliciously stirs up an unholy treat.
Lightning bolt strikes like quill to paper,
Slowly releasing a putrid vapor,
With electric ink the bottle obtains a seal.
And those who know how it’s made,
Call it the Crooked Eel.
And if you dare to drink it --
The shock will fill your soul,
With deep regret, you will submit
And allow fate to take its toll.
The sun sets down, twilight is now.
The moon comes out, worry fills your brow.
From your rack you lie so still,
Now in the air comes a sudden chill.
All light vanishes from out the door
No need to fight, nor ignore,
The whispers heard up from the deck;
It rustles and scrapes across your neck.
At night they come to feed off your fear,
The corner shadows from which they appear.
When at last you’ve had enough,
Question, "Who’s there?" sounding tough,
Snatches you down to Davy Jones’ Locker.
That’s why the Crooked Eel is such a shocker.
But perhaps you’ve all heard too much,
Men don’t believe in myth and such.
Oh Captain, our Captain, that seems but a part,
Tell us the ending before for bed we depart.
Alas, my children, don’t you see,
The Locker is no place for man to be.
A drowning force without the death,
Dragged screaming without a single breathe.
A dark place, the ocean’s bottom level,
Full of serpents, locked in with blue sea devils.
And in exchange for each soul, each man,
Ale Master receives a renewed lifespan.
But a moment of immoral deed,
Can give him what we all really need.
Now drink hardy boys if it’s all the same;
Everyone cheer and finish your brew.
Tonight they come for your lives to claim,
For the Crooked Eel I’ve given every man, my crew.
