Sea Shanty
Listen to Sarah ...
Sing a song of seahorses
a pocket full of rumour
four and twenty tuna
caught in a net, when the
boat began to rock
the sailors all got wet
dolphins came to rescue
them, leaping
at the stern and the sailors
they took heart
in mouth, to dare, and leap
into the deep water churn
the school were cracking
jokes when the sailors crawled
aboard, clutching half
a promise they could ill afford;
if they cut the tuna free
the dolphins swim them home -
a free fish guarantee ...
sing a song of seahorses
a pocketful of rumour -
those lads they haven’t been
to sea since they freed the tuna
they haven’t touched rod or net
and say they like the still of land
and don’t like getting wet.
a pocket full of rumour
four and twenty tuna
caught in a net, when the
boat began to rock
the sailors all got wet
dolphins came to rescue
them, leaping
at the stern and the sailors
they took heart
in mouth, to dare, and leap
into the deep water churn
the school were cracking
jokes when the sailors crawled
aboard, clutching half
a promise they could ill afford;
if they cut the tuna free
the dolphins swim them home -
a free fish guarantee ...
sing a song of seahorses
a pocketful of rumour -
those lads they haven’t been
to sea since they freed the tuna
they haven’t touched rod or net
and say they like the still of land
and don’t like getting wet.
This poem is copyright (©) Sarah Wallis 2024
About the Writer
Sarah Wallis
Sarah Wallis is a writer living on the East Coast of Scotland, a place where the sky meets the sea and you can see the curve of the world. A poetry chapbook Poet Seabird Island is available from Boats Against the Current, which you can hear her read from @EattheStorms podcast. Her work has appeared in Propel, Dust, Black Bough and Full Mood, as well as several of her poems flying with The Dirigible Balloon.
