Mutiny
A thousand miles from nearest land
And twice as far from kin.
The whaleman holds in his right hand
A knife that's wearing thin.
Evil thoughts begin.
Weeks it’s been since boats away
And when he’s not on watch,
He counts the hours of the day
And sips a jug of scotch.
Then carves another notch.
Around The Horn in southern seas
Now in their second year.
They say in latitudes like these,
at the bottom of the sphere:
"There is no God down here."
It’s a bloody, ugly game they play
Romanced by legends told
Of the giant marine beasts they slay
To mine the liquid gold.
But none is in their hold.
Captain said the grounds offshore
Was where they’d find the herd.
Now in his room behind closed door
He stares without a word.
And blames the frigate bird.
Our whaleman cast his lot with him
A gamble yielding not.
In lawless sea you sink or swim,
Allegiance isn’t bought.
And vengeance isn’t caught.
The tool he held now suddenly
Was more than just a knife.
A well-aimed swing would set him free
And home to kids and wife.
Just end the Captain’s life.
About this poem
First attempt at a poem that isn't about personal experience, and US whaling history has always fascinated me. I didn't start this as a poem about mutiny, it just turned out that way…which I suppose is how all mutinies go.
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Written on December 13, 2024
Submitted by Wpowell2490 on December 13, 2024
Modified by Wpowell2490 on December 19, 2024
- 1:07 min read
- 776 Views
Quick analysis:
| Scheme | ABABC DEDEC FGFGC DHDHC IJIJC KLKLC MNMNC |
|---|---|
| Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
| Characters | 1,114 |
| Words | 225 |
| Stanzas | 7 |
| Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 |
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"Mutiny" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 22 Jan. 2025. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/207694/mutiny>.
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