Wealth at any cost?

Our ship was overloaded,
                     [as each of our trip.
Admittedly champions......
                       champions in gyp.

It was a routine day
    [of scraping and painting the deck.
The transistor radio
      [was broadcasting that the Czech
was separated from Slovenia
                                               [completely...

The boatswain with snide voice
                                            [said sweetly (!?)


''John, get the fuck up to the mast,
  to tie the ship's radio antenna,
                                    [and do it fast''.

After a few minutes
           [John shouted from above,"done",
and the boatswain answered,
           ["then get down in one piece son". ​

Some time passed,
                   [but John remained on the mast....

Maybe the captain's wife,
  [with her swimwear blue and reddish cast​
was on the upper deck sunbathing,
                                 [thought the boatswain,
and then smiling said
                        [I'm sure that John is gazing". ​

At that very moment,
              [all heard the load voice of John, ​
which interrupted
                              [and the captain's yawn
who came out of the ship's bridge
                        [shouting what is going on?

Fire on a ship nearing,
              [stranded on the rocks of ​Ceylon,
and we heard in the voice.......the terror.
Was the response (from the mast)
                                  of the terrified sailor....​

Almost immediately
   [we received the S, O, S,* via a whaler,                    *Save our shouls 
and shortly after another message :
            "crew has abandoned the ship."

The captain cried:
                           'Τhis is our lucky trip,
we would all be rich
         [if we could tow the abandoned vessel ..
but to achieve it,
                         [by nature we should wrestle''.

___________


The sudden storm had caused huge waves
which were beating the six volunteers
                                 (wealth everyone craves)
who in the small boat
                       [were going to tie the wire tow ...

Climbed, pulled up extinguishers
                                          [and wire in the row....

Then......the terrible explosion
                               [of the burning tanker...

She was just a ship.....
                                [she was not a banker.

___________


Τhis whole mission of these six volunteers lost.
A heavy forfeit to get a couple of rocks*.....                                    *million dollars 
                                                  Wealth at any cost?

____________________________________________

* Extract from "The Broken Mooring Line", an experiential
poetic work // c45 // e-mail: pmataragas@yahoo.com //
Texts and Narration: Odysseus Heavilayias - ROTTERDAM //
Language adjustments and text adaptation: Kellene G Safis - CHICAGO//
Digital adaptation and text editing: Cathy Rapakoulia Mataraga - PIRAEUS// _______________________________________________________________

* Sea low, It is expressly provided by law that, for the ship's rescue, provided by law remuneration paid and distributed as required by law.
According to this law, half the value of the ship gets the owner of the ship will tow to a safe harbor, 1/4 the master and the remaining 1/4 of the crew of the ship salvor and distributed according to the size of the offer each. That is why volunteering!


  the tales of a greek sailor