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Haven't posted in a while, but here is a new one, hope you enjoy.
OCEAN BIRDS
THE OLD MAN
WOKE EACH MORNING
TO THE CALLS OF THE OCEAN BIRDS.
HE’D SMILE BRIEFLY,
PONDERING ON HIS LIFE
AND THAT OF THE BIRDS,
THEN PULL HIMSELF UP
AND PREPARE TO GO TO SEA
HIS BOAT WAS NOT AS GRAND
AS MANY OF THE OTHER FISHERMEN,
BUT HE HAD LED A GOOD LIFE
AND HIS WAS BY NO MEANS THE WORST
ON THE DOCK.
IT WAS SMALL,
BUILT FOR TWO
AND PERHAPS A PASSENGER,
BUT HE LOVED HER,
THE OLD “BOURBON QUEEN”.
PETE WAS HIS HELPER
A KIND YOUNG MAN OF THIRTY,
WHO IN HIS OWN WAY
LOVED THE MAN.
THEY WORKED TOGETHER
DAY IN AND DAY OUT
ALMOST EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR
AND FOR SEVEN YEARS RUNNING.
THAT DAY THEY SET OUT
AND THE OLD MAN FELT TIRED,
BUT HAPPY ALL IN ALL.
HE KEPT WONDERING ALL DAY
ABOUT THE BIRDS AND THEIR FREEDOM
AND HE LONGED TO HAVE IT.
PETE WAS NOT WELL,
AND THE OLD MAN COULD SEE,
SO HE DID MOST OF THE WORK.
HE HID HIS WEARINESS WELL,
AND CAME TO LIFE
WHEN HE SPOTTED A GRAND FISH
THAT COULD FEED HE AND PETE
FOR WEEKS.
HE LOOKED TO PETE
WHO ON A GOOD DAY
WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM
WITH SUCH A CATCH,
BUT TODAY HE WAS TOO ILL.
HE WAS VERY ILL,
AND THAT THE OLD MAN COULD TELL.
SO HE CAST OUT A LINE
WITH HIS BEST OF BAITS
AND HE WAITED,
AND WAITED,
AND WAITED,
AND THEN IT SNARED!
THE FISH WAS SURELY GRAND
FOR THE FIGHT IT PUT UP;
IT WAS THE STRUGGLE OF
A LIFETIME FOR THE OLD MAN,
WHO GREW MORE TIRED
AND WHO CONTINUED TO PONDER
THE BIRDS
INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING THE FISH.
THE OLD MAN WORKED HARD,
BUT HE KNEW IT WAS
A LOOSING BATTLE,
AND HE DID NOT CARE.
HE CUT THE LINE
AND LAY BACK NEXT TO PETE.
“PETE MY BOY,
THIS WORLD IS NOW YOURS,
WORK HARD, LIVE CLEAN
AND YOU’LL BE HAPPY.”
THEN HE CLOSED HIS EYES
AND LEARNED THE FREEDOM
OF THE OCEAN BIRDS.
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Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
-Douglas Adams
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