O who will sing that rudderless ship
   that has lost her destiny?
     With her sails in rags
     and her lines in snags,
        -- the Ship of the Dead is free!

The captain lies in a coma,
  his hands clutch helplessly,
    and the shantyman chokes
    and wheezes and croaks:
       -- the Ship of the Dead is free!

The crew are extict and jolly,
  they gnaw themselves hungrily,
    and their black lips grin
    as the rigor sets in:
       -- the Ship of the Dead is free!

The pilot has smashed the compass,
  and tramples the sextant with glee:
    he erases the log
    and steers by the fog;
       -- the Ship of the Dead is free!

O the skeleton climbs the rigging;
  his sockets scan the sea,
    and he cries to the crew:
    No land in view!
       -- the Ship of the Dead is free!



----------------------------------------------------
Cop­yr­igh­­t 2025 by Jon Corelis

joncorelis.com