The sun., 1916-11-19
POEMS o R D


b. Broadway.
I slid my anchor In the seethins tids
That roared and swirled along the Great
White Way.
And rolled n weather eye upon the feet
Manruvring In that treacherous latitude.
A bright. bedizened pleasure barge swept
by,
Its purple sails a-nutter In the breeze.
Alert. the lookout scanned the other ships.
And Of q sudden s~emaphorcd 10 port
A vessel that was three sheets In the
wind.
And wing and wing they took the ebbins
tide.
A pretty little yacht new to those seas
Sailed trinity on that dark. uncharted main.
A Jolly Roger secuted In her wake
Diss uiscd as a clean, honest merchantmen
And after deft manruvring siGnslied her.
At nrst she paid no heed to his wiswag.
But he was wise In all the deep sea ways
And shaped . cunning course across her
bow.
While lacking to escape she heard q sons.
The siren song he meant that she should
hear,
The song that makes the bodies. mariner
quail
And she was on her modest maiden trip.
Trembling. she struck her coiors. and he led
Her toward the shoals where sweet the
sirens sans.
And shs-she did not see the hidden rocks.
The other ships. unhsedins. went their
ways.
And what . curious lot Of craft they we're,
Bottoms from ali the Seven Seas were
The Coaster. Lighter. Dandy, xs.ch and
Brig.
The SLAYER. Clipper. Jollybea. and Tramp.
And others scuddins meath full sal, and
All self-immsrsed and few enjoying the
OF the fresh breeze or seeing the blu
above.
A iesky Treasure Ship punsd slowly past.
Its buigins. battered plates In sad contrast
To n stout timbered Yankee Clipper that
Cruised lightly ny breastins the craggy
waves.
But ther. was gold within that battered
And YET. the gold might Jus. As veil ,.
For all the good 'twouid DO thai storm
spent huh.
a Pirate. unmoiested. eruissd alons.
And Of . sudden. cross Its bow there shot
The green lights Of = Harbor Police Boat
Chasing . Fruit Junk from forbidden
ground.
The wealth Of all the world lay In the
holds
OF some great ships that drtftsd Idly by
Looking upon the curious pagsantry.
Or seeking for diversion on the sea
To vary the monotony Of their voyage.
And many OF these craft had put to SEA
From distant parts IN strength Of golden
youth
To sail that ...th,ns. DARK. unch.r,.d
main.
And win by weight Of worth to tn. fair
Tha, give. them eessy anchorage srAm the
storm.
The great skyserapsrs reared ssains, the
blue
Like sran,,. cliffs tina, sentinel . land.
locked bay.
Harbored another feet whose destinies.
In bulk. at least, lay far from tbs bright
That sirds Bohemis where the greater
ships
Tie IN when they ply not upon the tide.
And many Of these safe and sheltered banks
Looked with pale envy on the Greater Fleet
And wished that they In manner similar
Might navigate upon that ,~reaeherous tide.
Hut they were buildcd mostly Of soft wood,
BY unskilled hands. and never brsved the
waves
That beat upon the holder barks that sailed
BY virtue Of the stun that In them wa.
That wind whipped sea to win TO the fair
port
OF dazzling dreams that al great ships
do know.
subways. like mouths Of masistroms. msdiy
bclched
\ myriad other bottoms from their bowels
To swirl and eddy In the Wonder stream.
And stlli the ships swept; past In endless
chain .
While here and there = dcr.lict dragged
by.
Al this-and more-i saw. and wondered
how
The next new moon would shift that toss
ing tide.
JOINS @. GARrLANp.