An Aging Pirate

My body rocks to and fro
as I lean across the rail.
The bright blue sea is all I know.
And day by day my body grows frail.

So many duals I have fought,
and only a few I have lost.
So many lads I taught,
Knowing not what their lessons would cost.

The smell of the briny air,
the crashing of the waves below.
The wind gusting through my dark hair,
Salt water through my veins must flow.

My mind is filled with the deeds of my past.
My stomach full with the rum I drank.
Pilfering, plundering, and sinking each ship we pass.
Every survivor would walk the plank.

All the gold a man could want,
and all the ladies a man could hold.
But despite my past, my face grows gaunt.
The rum soaked pirate is getting old.

My bones grow weary,
My blue eyes faded to grey.
but my mind still knows clearly,
I’ll still live another day.

Drinking and laughing all through the night,
Guiding the ship through the rough waters by day.
I know the choice I made was right.
To live my life the pirate way.