Well, the first book is out and the reaction is such that I am writing more than ever. Just had a reading, our regular monthly open mic at a downtown coffee house, and this new one went over really well so I thought I would give you guys a preview of volume II.
At Singapore Annie’s
It were a dive in Singapore,
A dimlit back street joint.
I’d stopped to kill a raging thirst,
Or maybe make a point.
I was a young buck shipping out,
My first blue water cruise.
He’d seen too many seaborn days,
With little left to lose.
His legs, mismatched, one flesh, one wood,
His right hand was a hook.
A leather patch adorned an eye,
A salt no one mistook.
He curled above the bar, his drink,
Was cradled to his chest.
But the single eye left to him was
A-twinkle with some jest.
So sitting down, right next to him
Sez I, “Let’s have a talk.
I’d hear a tale or two from you,
Before I takes a walk.”
I bought a round and sez to him,
“To loosen up yer thought.”
He then begin to weave his tales,
Of loves and battles fought.
We drank and laughed then drank some more,
And then I asked him why,
His tales told naught, an’ how he ought,
To tell the where and why.
Of losing leg and hand and eye,
So to him I imparts,
“Excuse me mate but if I might,
Hear how you lost yer parts?”
“Oooh, was off the coast of Zanzibar,
One stormy night and dark,
A wave did wash me overboard,
Right to a hungry shark.”
“Afore me crew could pull me back,
He had me leg fer lunch.
And let me tell ye, matey mine,
It really hurt a bunch.”
“Yer hand, yer hand, it be gone too,
What happened then?” I roared.
“Was sailing near Tortuga town,
‘N pirates swarmed aboard!”
“With gun ‘n cutlass fought we brave,
The pirate captain sparred.
He whacked me hand off at the wrist,
Oh mate it vexed me hard.”
“My God, what tales and what comes next?
Yer eye, what happened then?”
He flushed, yes
BLUSHED and turned away
But answered with a grin.
“That be hard and to me shame ,
It’s knocked me for a loop.
For, why me eye departed me,
Was due to seagull poop.”
“A shark done ate yer right leg clean,
A pirate chopped yer han’!
Just how, pray tell, did seagull’s poop,
Remove yer eye now, man!”
“Seagull poop it was, me lad,
I’ll swear it on the Book,
Ya see it was the very day,
I first tried out me hook!”
Ooops! Wrong thread! Congrats on the article in the other thread Al! 
