THE SHIP IN THE STORM

The ship went out to sea, to sea,

And not at all too warily,

It sailed into the Gulf of Grief,

That gulf so full of grief, of grief.

Upon the shining waters vast

The ship sailed to the very last

Of daytime's light, into the night.

And that is when it had a fright.

It tossed, it turned, the waters churned,

The sailors felt their skills unlearned,

For terribly high the waves did crash,

And furious was their fearsome bash.

The ship did rock, the ship did sway,

Far out into that lightless day.

Black water flung it into fits

So much the sailors lost their wits.

"Look here!" the hardy captain cried,

"We cannot have our minds denied!

I'll grab that steering wheel and show

I know what this storm doesn't know."

And so the captain and his men

Did heave the moment he said "when,"

And turned the ship against the tide

Toward the land where they could hide.

A mighty wave crashed in full force--

The captain lost his wheel perforce--

He reeled toward the ship's low ledge,

But caught himself within a wedge.

Another jet black wave did wet

Him, hoping he would so upset

Him. Yet the captain called his crew:

"We know the lie, this deadly hue.

It seeks to harm us and undo.

There is a greater light than you,

O storm," he cried, "let us come through!"

The captain and his crew then veered

The ship toward the unseen pier,

And light came through the hopeless air.

The sea itself turned smooth and fair,

Like velvet, gentle as a lamb.

The captain shot his pistol, "Bam!"

So great was now his joy. The ship

Came home, and tucked into its slip.