The lookout knows he is not alone,

But alone he’d rather be;

To stroll unseen and to toll the bell,

At the passing ships at sea.

The night is still and the stars are bright,

As the tropic zephyrs blow,

The rigging sighs and the ocean wide,

Is a faithful friend to know.

So, what can ail the men who sail,

On the endless oceans free?

Who wish no more than to stand their watch,

As they peer at the endless sea?

But he’s well aware of the unseen stare,

Of a ghost who shares the prow,

A shiver rides the lookout’s spine,

And the sweat fair cools his brow.

.

All’s not well on the ocean swell,

There are furtive eyes in the dark,

For the lookout knows he is not alone,

And those hidden eyes are stark;

The watch is watched by an unseen wraith,

Oh, he fears but to ring the bell,

Malignant eyes they may not be,

But the lookout cannot tell.

.

.MICHAEL WALSH MARITIME POETRY

THE LEAVING OF LIVERPOOL  ex-Liverpool seaman Michael Walsh. Bestseller: 70 stories and over 100 pictures. A first-hand account of the British ships, seafarers, adventures and misadventures (1955 – 1975). A tribute to the ships and seamen of the then-largest merchant marine in history. BOOK LINK https://tinyurl.com/3kuja2s5

BRITANNIC WAIVES THE RULES The last White Star Liner (1845-1960) by Michael Walsh. In 68 lavishly illustrated stories the company’s last deckboy vividly recalls shipboard life. The liner’s colourful characters and jaw-dropping incidents both on board and in New York’s notorious Hell’s Kitchen. A unique collector’s item. LINK TO BOOK https://tinyurl.com/42zns8n2