Pirate Stan was the captain too
Looked up to by almost all his crew.
He robbed and pillaged day and night
And led his men in fierce fights.

He boldly sailed the Seven Seas
And captured treasure where he pleased.
A navigator second to none
Steering by the stars and sun.

His cannon fire was a thing of fear
Expected as his ship drew near.
A cracking shot, he never missed
So, prisoners did not exist.

In good times he’d sail by the moon
To somewhere with a warm lagoon.
He’d let his crew enjoy a rest
Or simply do what they liked best.

Then Stan would lie on the beach
Coconuts above, just out of reach.
A breeze got up and threw one down
It struck poor Stan on the crown.

Knocked out cold, he didn’t hear
When the call to board came to his ear.
The waiting crew thought he had heard
But the sound was just a passing bird.

Stan woke up, his ship had left
He yelled and waved then felt bereft.
But she was off without looking back
His life was suddenly right off track.

Meanwhile the crew had found the flaw
The ship had a captain no more.
Cutthroat Mack stepped up and said,
‘This ship was always poorly led.’

‘From now on men I’ll be your head
We’ll still fill other ships with dread.’
And so it was the ship sailed on
No bygones to reflect upon.

No point for Stan to scream and shout
A mutiny had come about.
Cutthroat Mack was now the skipper
And this made Mack feel very chipper.

‘Ah well,’ said Stan ‘All is not lost.’
There need not be a fatal cost.
From his pocket he pulled a mending kit,
‘Can’t pirate if your sails aren’t fit.’

He found a large needle which became a hook
And fibrous plants when he went to look.
A fishing line was soon devised
Stan’s pirate life had been revised.

Stan lived alone quite happily
Feeding himself from the sea.
Locals arrived from over the hill
And shared their food on his grill.

A year went by, his ship came back
The crew landed by Stan’s small shack.
‘Mack’s dead,’ they said, ‘Join us again’.
‘Come on board and lead the men.’

‘Look at you,’ was Stan’s reply.
‘I see a patch over Samuel’s eye.
One has one arm, one has one leg
To walk he has to use a peg.’

‘Successful you may have been with Mack
But I am just not coming back.
I like things that come in twos,
I have no surplus limbs to lose.’

‘Mine is not the pirate’s life
I have a dog, a child, a wife.
You be a pirate if you wish
I will just stay here and fish.’