Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE OPTIMISTIC SKIPPER, by AMOS RUSSEL WELLS



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE OPTIMISTIC SKIPPER, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: The skipper of the mary ann, a jolly chap is he
Last Line: "so long as I am sailing on the top side of the sea?"
Subject(s): Sailing & Sailors


The skipper of the Mary Ann, a jolly chap is he;
With jaunty jest and merriment he gayly sails the sea.
He knows no navigation and he missed his course a mile,
But said, "It doesn't matter, so long as I can smile."
He ran against an island, and he almost sank the ship --
"Well, never mind!" he brightly said, "we'll have a cheerful trip."
He did not see the gathering storm, but roared a sprightly song,
"O sailors, keep a-singing, and the way will not be long!"
The tempest blew him eastward and the tempest blew him west;
Whatever way he travelled, he liked that way the best.
He lost his course entirely, but he never lost his grin;
Said he, "The bark of laughter is the ship to travel in!"

And somewhere on the ocean, from the tropics to the pole,
The storms are still a-buffeting that optimistic soul.
He knows no navigation, but "What's the odds?" asks he,
"So long as I am sailing on the top side of the sea?"





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