Sea Pirates

Pirates

I could charter a massive schooner.
Bare breasted mermaid on the bough.
They would cheer us from the harbor.
Thick-veined forearms straining the sails.
Sweating hard, just to catch a breeze.

She throws back her head, hand on hip,
And laughs. "I'm a Polynesian.
With little to trade for your wares.
Only garlands I will give you.
And my sun-kissed, innocent self."

I stroke my beard, black as the storm.
Black as my heart, and swear on my
Conscience that we never will part.
The sun kisses the soil, fecund
Where we writhe, and foam, like the sea.

The act is fleeting, and brutal.
Premeditated, beautiful.
She rises. Naked, vulnerable.
Returning with two cups of tea.
Chipped mugs. Hot, sweet. Overflowing.

The day is red. Hostile. Rat race.
Words are barbed. Two - faced. Work place.
Yet there is a part they can't touch.
Tranquil green. Stream blue. Memories
Of a time when we were pirates.