Caught in the middle
The Jake loves a broad reach best
Decks awash and sheets bar taut
The wind bein fair we sailed nor east
And talked of all that had come to naught
On the quarterdeck we met
Young Jim on the helm
While Fog and I took a needed set
We gam'd a while in the masters realm
Young Jim asked who fronted the cash
For all the booze we struggled with
My friend Al Had brought the stash
And hired me for he'd heard a myth
That the Jake and me was in hard times
That needed funds that was the talk
As master of the Jake I would consign
A load of rye from Walkers dock
To Miquilon as was the scam
That customs and the runners tried
Then ran the booze to Michigan
Through Middle Isle to the US side
Just look at the chart and you will see
That Middle Isle's on that border fair
Not ten feet off her southern beach
Its an easy spot to offload there
We had all that booze still in the hold
And trail of mayhem left behind
That would stick with us like a summer cold
Until that stuff could be assigned
And offloaded with our skins in tact
And cash in hand for all aboard
For the crew and me had made a pact
That we'd sail off down the Atlantic shore
To the caribee and all points south
For an adventure sure to be
The stuff of legend by word of mouth
Of our exploits real not fantasy
Said I we'd best ease off and review
Our current exploits facts and all
We're a long way from St. Bartholomew
There's squall's brewing that may test us all
Ness's been tipped and sure as guns
He's passed us on to New York State
To watch for Jake as our course would run
Close by their waters so they lay in wait
In case The Jake would cross the line
They'll be there to take the Ship and crew
And that alcohol we consigned
Would be theirs for taxes due
Old Al was to be reckoned with
His reach was long and he's right mad
His cash and whisky both be missed
The accounting will be something bad
Duff is hungry for our load
He'd just as soon steal it whole
And the Jake as well if all be told
The master and crew would pay the toll
With Al to the east and Duff to the north
And the G man's navy to our south
For all of them the border's worth
Nothing in their search for us
We're hiding here in plain sight
A tiny speck of a boat on a right huge lake
With three nasty crowds to give us fright
Should one of them our siting make
Now these facts cast a sobering pall
Over everyone and that's no lie
We'd be outgunned and easy spoil
If seen by any of these guys
We added up our weapon's bank
It wasn't much and that's for fair
Two fowling pieces some ten gauge blanks
Some black powder and a box of flares
But its cold tonight and the fire's out
Been years gone now since I was there
And now once more it's time to stop
Now find us wood to feed this fire
Poetry by josephus
Read 498 times
Written on 2019-03-22 at 17:09
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Part VI The Laird Jake...The Lake Ontario War...
The Jake loves a broad reach best
Decks awash and sheets bar taut
The wind bein fair we sailed nor east
And talked of all that had come to naught
On the quarterdeck we met
Young Jim on the helm
While Fog and I took a needed set
We gam'd a while in the masters realm
Young Jim asked who fronted the cash
For all the booze we struggled with
My friend Al Had brought the stash
And hired me for he'd heard a myth
That the Jake and me was in hard times
That needed funds that was the talk
As master of the Jake I would consign
A load of rye from Walkers dock
To Miquilon as was the scam
That customs and the runners tried
Then ran the booze to Michigan
Through Middle Isle to the US side
Just look at the chart and you will see
That Middle Isle's on that border fair
Not ten feet off her southern beach
Its an easy spot to offload there
We had all that booze still in the hold
And trail of mayhem left behind
That would stick with us like a summer cold
Until that stuff could be assigned
And offloaded with our skins in tact
And cash in hand for all aboard
For the crew and me had made a pact
That we'd sail off down the Atlantic shore
To the caribee and all points south
For an adventure sure to be
The stuff of legend by word of mouth
Of our exploits real not fantasy
Said I we'd best ease off and review
Our current exploits facts and all
We're a long way from St. Bartholomew
There's squall's brewing that may test us all
Ness's been tipped and sure as guns
He's passed us on to New York State
To watch for Jake as our course would run
Close by their waters so they lay in wait
In case The Jake would cross the line
They'll be there to take the Ship and crew
And that alcohol we consigned
Would be theirs for taxes due
Old Al was to be reckoned with
His reach was long and he's right mad
His cash and whisky both be missed
The accounting will be something bad
Duff is hungry for our load
He'd just as soon steal it whole
And the Jake as well if all be told
The master and crew would pay the toll
With Al to the east and Duff to the north
And the G man's navy to our south
For all of them the border's worth
Nothing in their search for us
We're hiding here in plain sight
A tiny speck of a boat on a right huge lake
With three nasty crowds to give us fright
Should one of them our siting make
Now these facts cast a sobering pall
Over everyone and that's no lie
We'd be outgunned and easy spoil
If seen by any of these guys
We added up our weapon's bank
It wasn't much and that's for fair
Two fowling pieces some ten gauge blanks
Some black powder and a box of flares
But its cold tonight and the fire's out
Been years gone now since I was there
And now once more it's time to stop
Now find us wood to feed this fire
Poetry by josephus
Read 498 times
Written on 2019-03-22 at 17:09
Save as a bookmark (requires login) Write a comment (requires login) Send as email (requires login) Print text
