Poem: "Sail With Me, Lady Washington"

*sleigh bells jingling*
This poem came out of the December 1, 2009 poetry fishbowl.  It was inspired by a prompt from i_id who works on the replica ship built in the image of the original Lady Washington.  If you stretch a bit, you can sing this to the tune of "Mrs. Robinson." 

This poem (including the nonexclusive reprint rights) is presented to i_id as a gift from janetmiles as part of the 2009 Holiday Poetry Sale.  Happy holidays!  Have fun singing this with the rest of the crew.
 

Sail With Me, Lady Washington

In Massachusetts, your hull was made:
The length on deck was sixty-seven feet,
Two 3-pound guns aft and one tall mast
Made you as fierce as ever you were fleet.

Between colonial ports you sailed;
You carried freight and passengers as well.
Down to Virginia and Florida
You rode the ocean’s every storm and swell.

          Sail with me, Lady Washington;
          History is just another tide.
          Catch the wind, Lady Washington,
          Off to see what’s on the other side.

In seventeen and seventy-five
The War of Independence was begun;
A privateer, you fought British ships
And laughed to see the coward redcoats run.

In seventeen eighty-seven, when
The war was done, you gained another mast
And set sail down to Cape Horn and up
The west coast of America at last.

          Sail with me, Lady Washington;
          History is just another tide.
          Catch the wind, Lady Washington,
          Off to see what’s on the other side.

A pioneer in Pacific trade,
You went to Honolulu and Hong Kong.
Holds full of black pearls and sandalwood,
You made the trade routes steady and so strong.

You were the first from America
To make it all the way to reach Japan
And one King Kamehameha was
A partner in your visionary plan.

          Sail with me, Lady Washington;
          History is just another tide.
          Catch the wind, Lady Washington,
          Off to see what’s on the other side.

In modern times, Lady Washington,
You were reborn to teach the world anew.
All the shipwrights and historians
Combined to see the lengthy project through.

In nineteen eighty-nine they launched you
From Washington to celebrate the day
Of state centennial, and they cheered
To see your white sails carry you away.

          Sail with me, Lady Washington;
          History is just another tide.
          Catch the wind, Lady Washington,
          Off to see what’s on the other side.