Our Voyage

(For the Tower Poetry Competition - written by Daisy Edwards)

Write words to me, my darling,

Write sweet words, only for me,

As I sail painfully away from the land,

Upon the bruising and battering sea.

We hope to find some land,

New land to claim as our own,

Though, my love, don’t tell the lads,

All I want is for me to be home.

The biggest ship I’m upon, dear,

With the strongest sail and mast,

We’re travelling forward, for the future,

But I can’t help but think of the past.

Do you remember when we first met, love?

How we danced until the dawn,

And we slept a safe slumber for an hour,

Before a glorious sun rise was born.

We woke and watched for a while,

Each golden ray streaking the skies,

Holding my hand, you looked to the horizon,

While I only looked to your eyes.

When I first took you to the docks,

You were shocked; I was a man of the sea,

An unreliable, dirty, scurvy dog,

But, my love, you can count on me.

But now I’m here, feeling lonely,

Though we have the biggest crew,

I can not wait for this voyage to be over,

Then, finally, I can return to you.

The waves at night, they are fearsome,

The blackest and sharpest of fears,

One night, the wind was strong,

My eyes were streaming with tears.

I know, my darling, I should be brave,

Courageous, strong and tough,

Although this is my third voyage,

I’m finding the ocean life a little rough.

I think I’ll settle down soon, dear,

In a cottage, so far from the sea,

With a dog, on a farm and the greenest grass,

My love, would you come with me?

I know you love your family,

And your Mother wouldn’t approve,

But I know you don’t like the village much,

Come with, and we’ll both move.

Yes, to a town way off in the country,

Where flowers and oak trees can grow,

We’ll be in a large, warm cottage,

The rest… I don’t really know.

But please, oh please, join me,

We’ll have our own voyage soon,

With no waves or fish or terrible storms,

Or hoping for the light of the moon.

And in stead of crouching round a candle,

Looking for the slightest heat,

I will curl underneath our covers,

And hold you while we sleep.

We won’t have to worry about the captains’ cat,

Or which direction we stray,

We will be safe and warm in our little house,

In the warmth, with you, I’ll stay.

And my love, it won’t be too crowded,

No forty men all in one space,

Though if you want, we could start a family,

Each child, shining with grace.

And instead of cold gruel for breakfast,

And rum and stale bread for tea,

Fresh fruit, meat and loaves, my love,

So do, take this voyage with me.