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"Some Ships Have Tales"
Adam and Beaux, were about building for themselves boats, seeing that fish were plentiful and brought a good price at market They each began to construct what they thought was a goodly craft.
Beaux ( most just called him Bo for short) saw the need to get to market firstest with the mostest.
Adam took a more measured approach knowing his four fine sons would man the ship and this precious cargo might be found at the whim of an angry sea. Now, Bo had six strong sons and if He carefully employed his whip, keeping them away from the haka laka and the island pleasure girls he made wonderful progress on his tall, impressive craft.
The palm wood was easy to cut and form his ship soon took on magnificent dimensions.
From the mountainous interior of their lovely island home Adam selected teak and hard mahogany The efforts of his dedicated sons were awesome and keel and skeletal beams were joined so carefully with tedious time consuming precision It stood like a looming ghost on the day
Bo and his laughing, taunting sons launched their slipshod ship.
While a warm sun smiled and a west wind breezed and the island girls danced the ‘Sea Palm.’ gently slipped into the emerald bay.
The nets were hauled in heavy with each cast and soon the market was filled with every form of stinking briny life or should we call it... death.
The price of fish took an unexpected dive. A demand soon blossomed for deep ocean fish not the mollusks and toad fish so heavy on the air.
Bo’s rough sons ventured out of emerald bay on forays into inky blue The rewards were solid white meated fish so tempting to the tongue. Deep red salmon lox in smoked delight could bring a princely price. On days of gentle winds when skies were yonder blue they harvested not a paltry ransom from the clutches of the deep.
Adams ship was tarred and sealed and poised to take its plunge but they and all the villagers could not budge this bulky brute.
The call went out to aunts and uncles, cousins and clan logs were rounded, planks were laid to make a road from ship to sea. Push and pull, heave and steady, stop and rest, another day would come and go. ‘Adams Folly’ was anything but a light and nimble frigate when she stood on oceans lip. On one dark day, Sea Palm set out in winter, in gloom, in search of more rewarding fare they headed for the bigger fish in seas stirred dark and crowned with caps of white she wallowed deep and daunting being heavy water logged and even smelling punky in her hold.
when shadows had grown to their greatest length at noon, the tide embraced old 'Follies’ hull and she became a ship in every wondrous way.
Adam, his four sons, aunts and uncles, cousins and kin rejoiced. Four proud sons Set her sails and rode the sea as sure as any ship can ride. out of port and emerald bay into open sea on tossed and foamy waters riding high, leaning hard and taunting the irate wind.
‘Sea Palm’ To starboard, floundering!
Six men saved from certain death and if the sting of the leather's not forgotten, They make good crew on ‘Adams Folly’.
They work for shares from dawn til dusk and keep the Folly fast and floating, fishing deep and catching meat and substance for their clan.
Adam sits in splendor, in exalted excellence, telling those who have an ear to hear,
"Choose well your girding beams then join with excess care,
for integrity will tell.
Oh yes, integrity will surely tell."
Bo, do bring me one more coconut. My throat is parched from telling.
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