ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

The Bilge of a Ship

Stephen Whiteside 15.11.2012

The bow of a ship cuts clean and fine
As it makes its way through the foamy brine.
The waist of a ship is broad and wide,
For it's filled with cargo - the captain's pride.
The stern of a ship is snub and square,
And it leaves the roiling ocean there,
But the bilge of a ship is foul and rank
And dingy and dirty and grungy and dank.

The masts of a ship are tall and high,
You'd think they almost could scrape the sky.
The cross-spars, too, are a splendid sight,
As they meet the masts at an angle right.
The sails fill out like cotton-puff clouds,
And the sight's complete with the patterned shrouds,
But the bilge of a ship is rank and foul,
And its vapours thick turn a smile to scowl.

Pump them dry, oh, pump them dry,
Or you'll pay the price for it, by and by.
Sluice them through with a swash and a swish,
Till they're clean as the captain's tumbler and dish.
Wash them out, oh, wash them out,
With the catch of a song or a cheerful shout,
For a ship, be its decks as pure as snow,
Is only as sound as its bilge below!

a rollicking shanty Stephen - I reckon the kids would love that - but the old wooden boats are not welcome to our fair shores anymore without outlaying many thousands of dollars and filling in mountains of paperwork to confirm they are free of 'bugs', one of the reasons behind destroying the illegal immigrants boats that come into our waters.

Her hull is full of worm I’ve seen, long overdue for its careen
and foodstuffs in her galley there will not pass customs I declare.
So haul her to our homelands shore and give her crew a ticket for
an aeroplane ride, one way – back. Then burn that hull to sooty black.

My sons boat once it leaves Australian waters will not be allowed back in as it is officially categorized as a timber boat even though the hull is fiberglassed - she will have a permanent mooring somewhere over in Asia and so they will they

I've sent your poem on to my son - I know he will love it - he likes the old wooden boats

Cheers

Maureen

Fascinating, Maureen!

I love those four lines of rhyme. Where are they from? Did you write them?

I enjoy reading a nautical poem, should be more of it, after all Australia has thousands of kms of coastline. hmm I've said that before I think.

Thanks Stephen.

Thanks, Neville.

Yes, the poem was inspired by a book I am reading - "The Best Australian Sea Stories", by Jim Haynes. Lots of great stuff in it.

Just wrote them to push some buttons for you Stephen but am holding them in abeyance - I feel something stirring