The Brave Boys of the Sea

With a flat upon the horizon
And a wind from the rear,
The captain set off stocked
With ample bait and gear.

His crew of burly boaters
Half asleep with groggy eyes
Were busy below deck
Preparing for their prize.

For the fish were ripe
For a sturdy enough crew,
And right were his men,
The captain just knew.

But with days slipping by
Into an irretrievable past,
Tension ran high and
The boys were aghast.

Homesick and tired
They made aware their issue,
Displeasing the captain;
To give up he did not wish to.

Then as if by the hand of Poseidon
The fish began their frenzied fight.
No hook left untampered,
No fish refused to bite.

And joy ran across
Both the faces and the hearts
Of each man on the vessel,
Proud of their playing parts.

Fish filled the anglers' ship
From stern to steady bow,
The bait was surely working
And it mattered not how.

Voyage home was on the cusp,
Both captain and crew satisfied,
But the tide shifted quickly
And fear they could not hide.

The sky turned dark
On either side they looked.
A pillaging purple precipice
Was being deviously cooked.

"Cap, be careful", crackled the
Radio with a woman's voice of concern.
"I will", replied the captain,
Money to make, respect to earn.

So into the darkness
The boat trudged on,
Leaving behind a fading light
And any hope for dawn.

Soon the sun disappeared
And the rain fell hard.
The wind whipped wicked
And the sea's calm was marred.

The small boat swayed
With violent instability,
While the cap' fought
Back with a humble humility.

But the odds were slim
In that sea white with foam,
The minds of the men
Filled with family back home.

And like a child separated
From the sight of his parent,
The realization of death
Became increasingly apparent.

For the waves rolled high
And the sky remained black,
So with the future in question
They could only look back.

Surrounded they were
By an air of sure death,
As they gasped with trouble
For precious needed breath.

Then with no warning
The boat flipped on its crew so brave,
A force from above had shaped
Into a treacherous rogue wave.

Down they sank
Sorrowfully slow,
No more could they see
The surface's subtle glow.

Destined were they
To rest on an ocean floor,
With no designation
Like on the familiar sands of shore.

But destined they were, too,
To an immortal living legend:
The brave boys of the sea
Who fought to a valiant, noble end.

Their silent spirits in the sea remain
In memory and honor, but never to disdain.