My name is Ishmael
My story emanates from a whale
At its core is a peg-legged sailor
He and I and our rugged tale
Of our time upon a whaler.
Captain Ahab was an acidic salt
That deserved to be called hard bitten
As he literally was by a fearful assault
When his leg was written off.
I recall his: “I’ll get you Moby Dick”
“You’ll die for that leg nor will it be quick”
The search for the beast became our daily quest
Till the master beat the whale he’d find no rest.
A one man crusade for this personal Holy Grail
Ahab had no life but that damned white whale.
Every blowhole spied was eagerly eyed
For the harpoon scars that belied its hide.
“Ahoy! Ahoy! Ahab would cry,
“It’s that devil Moby Dick”
“Go for the eye, let your harpoons fly,
Be sure to make them stick.”
But the sought for whale I could not see,
Feel water, water everywhere as cold as cold can be.
I drop my trusty harpoon or clammy soggy flannel
And blinking away Melville’s eponymous mammal
I eye this look from the supercilious little fuck
Say: “I’ll drown you yellow bastard Moby Duck!”
Comments
-
This is rich, Frank...
...and if I get it as you intended, it's a bitch of a bath. I followed along with its skillful resume of Melville's classic, wondering what the hell is Frank going to do with this? Then I got to the final couplet and laughed out loud. The wannabe Ahab, strong, ferocious and deadeningly determined, turns his fierce revenge on a little rubber ducky! And if I'm way off on that, I still like this salty tale with its clever rhymes and lines. Nice work, Frank.
As an aside: that famous first line, often as "Call me Ishael", was used by someone to emphasize how the lowly comma can drastically change things. For example, "Call me, Ishmael."
Lots of fun in this poem, Frank, with your usual sidewise slant and droll voice.
Lad -
-
Thanks Lad
That's a very nice comment - thanks Frank
-
Adding your comment:
