A pirate’s lot remains on my mind today.  To me, like many, there has always been a bit of allure to some of the legendary pirates.  Not the least of these is a chapter in a book I aim to release within the coming year possibly about rogues in American history – Jean Lafitte.  The Lafitte brothers and their men as some may recall are the true winners at the fabled Battle of New Orleans from which Andrew Jackson won part of his acclaim.

A Return to the Sea
by Michael Doyle

There are no monuments, he said
As the storm unleashed over our heads
There is only the water for you and me
In our final return to this holy sea

A pirate's life leaves no legacy
Just tattered bits of mystery
Hanging about like footnotes in history
As fate washes our remains into the sea

Disregarded for all of our banditry
Few will ever know of our gallantry 
A few us will have our tales told
The rest of us are unwanted, save for our gold

Our lives were earned from this sea
And in the end, it claims us as shall be
Swallowing each pirate entirely whole
Each of us knowing, we owe it our souls

It's as if we weren't here at all
As each of us answers the sirens' final call
Such then is the pirates' fatal lot
One which would be best never forgot

(c) March 10, 2020   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved