Captain Carrot
This is one of my longer poems and it was a massive struggle from start to finish. It took several months to get out. I'd originally had the concept in mind and had a couple of verses come to me fully formed, which is always a rewarding feeling. Once I had those though, I had to conform to the structure I'd picked for the rest of the poem which was a massive headache and I wrestled with every other verse. I think it's turned out well in the end but I will always hate it because of the pain it caused me.
Captain Carrot
Captain Carrot, the pirate rabbit,
Scourge of the Seven Seas,
Sailed with a crew on the 'Lazy Sue',
Shooting the ocean breeze.
On board the 'Sue', the pirate crew,
Were a motley, murderous lot,
There was Cut-Throat Flopsy and Scurvy Mopsy,
And a one-eyed parrot called Spot.
Captain Carrot, the crew and the parrot,
Were feared from shore to shore,
They'd a mountain of gold in the Lazy Sue's hold,
But they lusted for more and more.
The fear of the rabbits with their piracy habits,
Filled everyone with such dread,
That the mayor of the town passed his hat all around,
And Carrot had a price on his head.
On a far distant shore, hungry and poor,
A clever young fox spent his days,
He was ducking and diving and barely surviving,
When news of the prize caught his gaze.
When opportunity knocks for an ambitious young fox,
You can be sure that he'll grab it,
So when Dan the Fox saw, this reward was in store,
He set out to catch that rabbit.
Dan plotted and weaved until he conceived,
Of a devious, duplicitous plot,
To capture Carrot, the pirate rabbit,
And Flopsy and Mopsy and Spot.
Every Tuesday was the Lazy Sue's crew's day,
To sail into port for supplies,
They went for a meal at the 'Squeaky Wheel',
Where Carrot would have a surprise.
A dog and a cat were having a chat,
Over glasses of ginger beer,
"There's barrels of gold or so I've been told,
In a tunnel not far from here.
"The entrance, they say, is in Dead Man's Bay,
By the rock that looks like a crow,"
Carrot's eyes lit up and he drained his cup,
And he whispered, "Avast lads, let's go!"
Unseen by Carrot, the pirate rabbit,
A certain young fox was lurking,
Dan gave a grin and left the inn,
His devilish plan was working.
Carrot and Flopsy, Spot and Mopsy,
Set off for Dead Man's Bay,
"If we move real quick we'll pull off this trick,
And steal that treasure away!"
By the rock like a crow, looking down low,
They could see a cave open wide,
And Captain Carrot, the crew and the parrot,
Cautiously ventured inside.
A tunnel they found, deep underground,
That seemed it would never end,
Left turns and right, using candles for light,
The pirates crept bend after bend.
At long last they saw ahead was a door,
And they gave out a piratey cheer,
Said Captain Carrot the pirate rabbit,
"I'd wager the treasure's in here!"
But as they passed through the door a surprise was in store,
Carrot was in for a shock,
They entered the room and heard in the gloom,
The sound of a key in the lock.
The mayor of the town, with his guards all around,
Had his sword pointed right at his chest,
The mayor gave a grin and said, "Ha! I win!
Carrot, you are under arrest!"
Down on the beach the mayor gave a speech,
"It gives me tremendous pleasure,
Dan, please come forward, to get your reward,
For getting us back all our treasure."
The mayor looked all round but no Dan could be found,
Until suddenly, out of the blue,
Coming out of the docks was a certain young fox,
Who was stealing the Lazy Sue!
Dan hove into view on the deck of the 'Sue',
With a crew and a parrot aboard,
"I've a mountain of gold in my Lazy Sue's hold,
You can keep your poxy reward!"
So now Pirate Dan's, with his dastardly plans,
The scourge of the Seven Seas,
And he sails with his crew on the Lazy Sue,
Shooting the ocean breeze.
By Pete Thomas