Digging through some old stuff, I found some attempts at poetry written back when I was in the Navy (84 - 93) - some of it is pretty dark, since time at sea could be hard, but an interesting look at that time in my life. I'll post some of them, but individually, with a few comments: often they make no sense without a bit of background.
This one was written while aboard ship, in the middle of the Indian Ocean - and they had decided to do a "Lobster and Steak" night for dinner. The lines had gotten quite long, and seemed to take forever - and when I finally got some food, the steak was still frozen in the center!
Impressions (Dinner at Sea)
Lobster & Steak makes two hour break
From boredom to boredom again
We’re standing on water – we sink or we swim
We’ve been here since I don’t know when
With Jimmie & Davey & Lee is here too
We stand in a permanent line
Maybe by midnight we’ll begin to move
And then we can sit down and dine
Will the food make us croak, or just make us choke
Or maybe collapse in a heap
My eyes start to close, the Lord only knows
If I’ll ever get any sleep
To smell it is frightening, to taste it enlightening
On methods of poisoning men
‘Cause it’s just the right shade to be Deadly Nightshade
Yet here we are eating again
If this ditty scares you, or maybe impairs you
From eating a nice quiet meal
Say us a short prayer while we’re floating out here
Lord willing, our stomachs will heal!
