When you set out on your journey To traverse in seas unknown, You will meet a set of characters Who will test you to the bone:
You will hear such glorious voices From the waters of below Only stoop a bit, to glimpse of The few sirens that lay low With a wonder, you may doubt that You have witnessed great beauty The many scales they've fought to hide Will in time, reveal so clearly
You will come across sea merchants Who'll speak lengthy promises Don't accept their words too quickly Or their small venom doses Gold to the eye, sweet to the tongue, Their words drip like bee's honey Yet to the thirst you've long to fill So unquenchably sticky
When you find some shipwrecked sailors Who are also lost at sea Take them on board and you'll find that They become your best mate-y Keep them close, take good care of them You will need them near the end When you hit that last tidal wave And your ship's about to bend
You will come by some sea pirates Who will win you like a friend When the seas get rough and rowdy To you they will all depend Don't believe their charming banter They will empty up your lot And then leave you stranded, lifeless, Just to steal your golden spot
If you find a distant lighthouse Do not fear to get too close There you'll find such rare occasions And gain gold you can't dispose They will make you see the wonder Of the smallness of your ship And narrate those distant countries For your never-ending trip
When you set out on your journey To traverse in seas unknown, You will sail through different waters That will test you to the bone:
You will face a wave of troubles That may come at an instant Hold the ropes and brace the weather Sunshine won't be too distant Don't be too blinded by the rain Don't get swept away by wind For your greatest battle to face Is not the outside, but in
Always remember your compass For it knows you more them It will guard your own sanity Like a vault of precious gems Don't believe them when they tell you To exchange your own for theirs You will lose your soul on the way In search of approving heirs
At times you will sail still waters But in these don't be deceived For they come in strange intervals In small bursts to be received Do not chase after such waters Those who did had died at sea Not a name to be remembered Nor a real captain to thee
Above all else, remember this--
When you land in shores uncertain When your mates have all disappeared When your compass has been stolen When the journey's worse than you feared When you stare death right in the face When sea monsters outnumber you When nothing falls right into place When there is nothing left to do
--Don't lose sight of the North Star In the land and seas you roam It's your constant, day and night Until you have returned Home.
This is dedicated to Frankie, and all others like her