The Captain

The captain’s eyes glow ruby red Atop the steamer’s deck – A rusted tin can set adrift By rough Atlantic crests A crimson emblem sanctions This whaler’s floating tomb – A battered vessel bearing Insignias of doom Red ember sparks illuminate The old man’s hickory pipe, As he begins to scour the sea For subtle signs of life The radar soon shines fiery red, And deckhands race to find Their harpoons pointed straight ahead At monsters in mid-dive 'There she blows!' the captain blares, His face now beating red; The hunt is on for him again, And victory’s ahead But as the scarlet sun moves west, Black storm clouds open wide, And though the weary crew protests, He keeps the men in line One well aimed shot is all he needs To stain the ocean red, But angry winds and beating rain Show no signs of an end The crimson hull begins to quake As waves come crashing down, And though the crew is mad with fright, The captain only frowns Then finally a sound rings sharp Amid the roaring surf – The red harpoon has found its mark: A whale of massive girth 'We got her now!' the captain chimes, His new prize bleeding red, But with his words a rogue wave climbs Ten feet above their heads As they stare up with fear and awe, They realize their fate – Atop the blood-red steamer bow, They know that it's too late And though the crew and captain pray For rescue from the squall, The phantom wave of burgundy Descends to drown them all.