“When it rains, it pours,”
said the Captain as the water spilled over
what was left of the shore
for the fourth time in as many fortnights.

“When you’ve seen one storm
by golly, makes you want to see ten more.
All are particular,”
said our Captain to the unmanned oars.

“When hell freezes over
better hold on to your four-leaf clover.
So’s the life of a rover:
Make a sacrifice for a roll of the dice.”

“When my ship comes in
will it bring barnacles from all the places I been?
How will I know it?”
the Captain asked as the die was cast and the mast went down.

“When all is said and done,
let it be said: ‘This sailor’s life was hard won.
He went where the voyage was,
slept his nights beneath the stars
for what good’s a ceiling?’
What good’s a ceiling?”

(10/10/2018: Irish Acres, Mount Horeb, Wisconsin)