The Tale of Jack Tar

A rhyming ditty

There was an old sailor who lived by the sea

in an upturned dinghy he rented for free.

He loved every morning to stand on the sand

to greet passing ships with a wave of his hand.

 

He worked on said dinghy to make it a home

as he knew at his age he could no longer roam.

He put in some windows, he put in a door,

he put in a toilet and even a floor.

 

He built a log burner, chimney, and all

a stove and a larder next to the wall,

he purchased a table, four chairs and a stool

for this ex-Merchant seaman was nobody's fool.

He piped in some water to fill up his bath

bought six plastic ducks to give him a laugh.

He borrowed a loofah and got in the tub

and with carbolic soap he did rub, rub, and rub.

 

Feeling all cleansed and fit for the day

he pulled on his clothing and went on his way.

He passed by the baker and stopped for some bread

and popped into the milliner to cover his head.

 

Stopped at the Green Man and ordered a beer,

after three more, and in such good cheer,

he went to the farm and purchased a duck,

hoping it would bring him plenty of luck.

 

He didn’t stop there, and he ordered a horse

which could not live in his dinghy of course,

but, he ordered a goat, and he ordered some sheep

herded them home and built them a keep.

 

Next were some chickens to lay him some eggs,

a wash line, a basket and even some pegs.

He hung out some washing and stood on the shore

quite proud of his fortune, he couldn’t want more.

 

Next day, now quite sober, he woke with a start

to a knock on the door that unsteadied his heart.

There stood two bailiffs looking quite grim

holding a summons which they handed to him.

 

The moral of this tale, if there has to be one,

and none of us wished to curtail his fun,

is that if you have dreams that get out of hand,

for goodness’ sake don’t build them on sand!

Author's Note

Just a bit of fun

Reviews

[Nima.Hope]

Almost all of middle-aged man in 1930's imagined themself to be an old man by the sea someday, maybe a captain on the ship and stop often to drink in bars lol.
It was a smooth and lovely write.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you NH

[John]

A rollicking good read with a wry payoff that made me smile.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you and I am pleased it had a positive effect.

[willweb]

That was fun, well written, nice rhythm and rhyme and a great story filled with humor and a morale. What more could one ask for. Nicely done.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Many thanks Will

[Arundass TP]

The tale of old sailor isbrilliantly written. Enjoyed reading 🙂

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you ATP

[nadia dmitri]

Such a great poem! The rhyming is masterful and the story is so charming. I love this, great job :)

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Many thanks Nadia.

[W. Barrett Munn]

Very clever and the rhyming is exceptionally well handled.

Winston

[John Alexander McFadyen]

It was a fun write. Thank you Winston.

[Lydia Shutter]

What a delightful write this is. Flawless rhyming and a great story. I could picture him buying the chicken and the horse and then having to build a place for them to stay. Nope, can't build a lasting structure on sand. Just loved this! Lydi**

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you so much Lydi, it was a fun write.

[AYVID N]

Dear John,
I'm delighted to find and read a new poem from you, after so long. As always, so enjoyed your crisp storytelling here. Great humor, great fun in effortlessly flowing and elegantly rhyming verses! Welcome back.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you dear Divya. I have posted a couple recently. Just dipping my toe back in the water after the page cloning nonsense. Your writing has become so developed and is such a joy to read.

[AYVID N]

You're welcome John. Its great to have you back and it means we'll have some great poetry to read. I always look forward to it. And please ignore the trolls.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you dear poet.

[Maximus]

Wonderful story with a deep message and it was presented really well. I really enjoyed going through this short story of yours.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Many thank yous Maximus.

[FGFRANKLIN]

I thought the moral was going to be, (Never purchase a horse unless you have a bigger dinghy.) ;) But that's just my perverted sense of humor. I'm dying. This was a great read. Thanks for the smile. F.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

A morals! Many thanks FGF.