When the salty west wind casts its spray to my lips
And the summer sun breaks on the lea
Take me down to the sea where the tall-masted ships
Bring their seafaring shanties to me
Give me topsails and topmasts and riggings to trim
Be they brigantine, schooner or barque
And the uncharted waters where clipper ships skim
Over squid, kraken, mermaid and shark
Let them whisk me away like a kite in the breeze
Or a handful of billowing sand
To the ends of the earth where the coconut trees
Spread their leaves o’er the sun-battered land
Let me ride the typhoons with sailors of yore
Stake my life on toss of the dice
Let me fly with the waves as they rush to the shore
Where the winds smell of Orient spice
Give me black strap and grog and the wide open sea
And a tankard of overproof rum
O the vagabond sea! where a man can live free
Till the end of his journey is come
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Michael Pendragon is an American writer, poet, editor, best known for having published a pair of literary magazines: “Penny Dreadful” and “Songs of Innocence & Experience” (1996-2005). His writings have appeared in “The Romantics Quarterly,” “The Dream Zone,” “Masque Noir,” “Event Horizon,” “Frisson,” “Terror Tales,” “The Roswell Review,” “Raintown Review,” “The Cat-Bird Seat,” “Scarlet Literary Magazine,” and “Boston Poetry Magazine.” A collection of his poetry, “Into the Night,” was published in 2010.