The saga continues the scenery changes and trouble always seems to follow jake



Part V The Laird Jake...Of Duff and Hog Town




Fog met us at the pier
He always was some kind of seer
Could tell whenever Jake arrives
He's always there that's no surprise

One look at Ness was all it took
Fog knew something was afoot
Talking to our supercargo
We learned he meant to lay us low

Seems he felt we were running gin
To Ohio or to Michigan
Our export bill to Miquilon
Proved our legality spot on

He was looking for my friend Al
He had a tip he was on Middle Isle
To take on board a load of rye
Ness was there to do or die

The chicago crowd feared the storm
So stayed on South Bass where they had a dorm
Ness decided to take their place
And nab our boat and win the race

He sort of knew we were that boat
But the export bill took us off the hook
Besides Canada was off his beat
Charging us here would be no mean feat

Fog agreed to get Ness back
To Ohio soon as he got time in the rack
His adventure here had taken its tole
He was plum worn out and blue with cold

Now the Laird Jake had issues to resolve
All that rye and no buyer to solve
Our need for cash save a long hard run
To the french island of Miquilon

Young Jim was casting off next dawn
When Fog shows up and say he's done
With sitting there while we run off
He's a hankering for living rough

So its the three of us on lake Erie
Bound for The Welland yessiree
Its Miquilon or bust
With a load of liquor and not much else

Jake's galley's short on lettuce leaves
But lots of beans and bully beef
Its hearty but rather basic stuff
After a week we'd had enough

We put in at Port Dalhousie
In search of vituals more to please
Swapped a bottle of Rotgut rye
For a overdue feast of Erie Walleye

The dive we ate at was not five star
But catered to sailors left on shore
A nasty place where one would find
A berth or crew of any kind

The guy who was the master there
By the name of Duff a mariner
Of some repute who swallowed the anchor
To stay ashore with a pretty wife that he adored

Duff said that rye was some good stuff
He had a buyer if there was enough
Of a cut for him a commission of a sort
A finders fee paid in cash on the spot

Toronto had a wicked thirst
For liqour and this was not the first
Shipment he had handled for
A hard man known in T.O.s lore

He'd sail with us the next day and
Land on Hog Town's Wards Island
There we'd beach our shallow keel
Off load the rye and make the deal

Young Jim and Fog we had a chat
We all felt this deal was just too pat
So we declined and went our way
Duff wanted that deal in anyway

The dawn broke red a certain warning
As we cast off bound for Pickering
There was no wind so I gave in
To waken the iron beast within

Now the Jake's a sailing ship for fair
But he's got a monster in a lair
That once awakened is troublesome
Its a make and break gas engine

To wake her she must be primed
Then turned to top dead center time
A ten gauge blank in a inlet port
Is fired with explosive force

If all goes well and she doesn't explode
She'll start spinning and drive her load
There's just one challenge in this instruction
You never know the shaft's rotation

The prop's close coupled so who's to know
If Jake's thrust is aft or to the bow
Its best to start her in the clear
Away from obstacles too near

So every start is a roll of the dice
Young Jim's been lucky once or twice
Today it was Jim's luck that held
The Jake was off with a thumping bilge

Lake Ontario shares a boarder
Same as Erie, Huron and Superior
Jake's legal off the northern shore
But in New York State he's a rumrunner

The boarder is kind a tough to see
A line on a chart but no buoys
Mark it for real so the course I set
is nor nor-east a good safe bet

We're out of sight of either shore
And bound for Kingston thats for sure
Duff's heard our course was Pickering
So it a safe bet we've spoiled all his planning


The wind turns fair from north by west
So we give the monster and us a rest
Jim set the main jib and fore then staysail too
Lets show Fog what Laird Jake can do

So its off we go full and bye
Under a crimson warning sky





Poetry by josephus The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 505 times
Written on 2019-03-19 at 22:06

dott Save as a bookmark (requires login)
dott Write a comment (requires login)
dott Send as email (requires login)
dott Print text



I am utterly enchanted by this rhyme of a modern mariner!
2019-03-20


ken d williams The PoetBay support member heart!
A grand work (very good!), Joe.
Ken D
2019-03-20


Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
Well done, Joe.
2019-03-19