The ship went sailing from the bay
with countless treasures in its hold.
The waves roiled on that windy day,
though tamed by sailors brave and bold

With countless treasures in its hold,
they sailed the ship t’wards their home land.
Though tamed by sailors brave and bold,
they did not see the shifting sand.

They sailed the ship t’wards their home land,
the ocean’s might did give them pause—
they did not see the shifting sand
as crashing waves gave way to claws

The ocean’s might did give them pause
when wind grew still and air grew cold.
As crashing waves gave way to claws;
an ancient guardian of ancestral gold

When wind grew still and air grew cold
the sailors stared up at their deaths.
An ancient guardian of ancestral gold
sent ship and crew to murky depths.

The sailors stared up at their deaths
as hull and mast were ripped apart
sent ship and crew to murky depths
and last it took the captain’s heart

As hull and mast were ripped apart
their bodies sank to worlds below
and last it took the captain’s heart
it dealt the crew a mortal blow

Their bodies sank to worlds below,
descending slow with pilfered treasure
It dealt the crew a mortal blow;
A curse to stay ‘neath waves forever

Descending slow with pilfered treasure,
the ship went sailing from the bay
A curse to stay ‘neath waves forever,
the waves roiled on that windy day.

Week 3 of the 12 Months of Writing challenge brings us to poetry with a theme of ‘wealth’. The form of poetry I chose was a pantoum… and I have to admit, I’m not overly happy about how this turned out. It feels awkward and clumsy in places, and it could be two or three verses shorter. However, I’ve been suffering from a cold all week, so I don’t have the energy or willpower to try to fix it or write something else 😦 I just hope someone else is going to participate with their own poem, to cheer me up and make poetry week something other than a complete wash-out!

In the meantime, I’ll be over here in my bed, fulfilling my role as the world’s foremost producer of nasal fluids/consumer of Kleenex. Biology is both fascinating and completely disgusting.

If you’d like to join in with your own poem about wealth, drop a link in the comments below or hit this page up with a pingback.