Fiery Cinders
by Michael Doyle

Hourglass sands spell tales of brutality
Whispering that most pirates keep their humanity
That is until they can only no longer see fit
Which mostly comes down to the matter of profit

In these moments, and when it's a Hell of a prize
It's strictly logic that there should be no witnessing eyes
None are to be left alive to tell the tale
That would put plundering pirates' souls in Hell

In fiery cinders, a ship sinks into the sea
There is no pomp in these circumstances to see
Only an end that must come to one day justify
In the day when muted voices of the dead can reply

That is to say, to the less-than-clever
That dead men tell their tales almost never
Sometimes, that's just how it is to be
As Jolly Rogers seals loose lips under the sea

A daring escape made before the watch change arrives
Is the only means by which some pirates survive
A defeated captain speaks his final fading plan
Bravado prevails, or they'll die to the last man

In fiery cinders, a ship sinks into the sea
There is no pomp in these circumstances to see
Only an end that must come to one day justify
In the day when muted voices of the dead can reply

(c) September 18, 2024   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved