’Twas my first voyage
And a fine voyage too
Bound with six others
For Figgamaroo
There was Narli and Parlie
And Otter and Barry
Gastro, the ship’s cook
And old Captain Harry
With me as their seventh
A cabin boy true
In search of the island
Of Figgamaroo
Our cargo was taffy
And three kinds of jade
Fish hooks and teacups
That we hoped to go trade
For the finest of riches
That your thoughts could construe
Found no-where on earth
But Figgamaroo
Gastro would serve us
Goose eggs on a platter
Which he’d cook mixed with shell
Said the Captain, “No matter
For there’s oat-cakes and gumbo
With jelly-drop goo
When we get to the Island
Of Figgamaroo”
Thin Parlie, our lookout
With knots was quite handy
To the deck he’d drop wrappers
From sugar-free candy
To the captain he shouted
(Quite a hullabaloo)
“There’s a storm lies between us
And Figgamaroo”
So Barry struck mainsail
While Narli checked jump
And Otter went ’lo decks
To clean out the sump
And Gastro, now queasy
Cried, “What shall we do?”
“Sail through her,” said Harry
“To Figgamaroo”
I admit that I doubted
As I tied myself fast
The winds were so calm
Not a creak from the mast
Then the softest of whispers
Like an eerie preview
Made me wish for the safety
Of Figgamaroo
The change was so sudden
A bare minute was all
From the lightest of breezes
To a full-blown sea squall
There was thunder and lightning
As our deck was blown skew
I despaired ever seeing
Fair Figgamaroo
The waves were so mighty
That they fell from the sky
Dropping down a great sea bass
Looking me in the eye
The wind tore from us flotsam
Even my own left shoe
I clung to rope, and to hope
Of Figgamaroo
The salty spray whipped us
Making everything wet
From the top of the mainmast
To the cook’s shell omelet
But Narli stood bravely
Tight the sheet line she drew
As our ship struggled onward
To Figgamaroo
Just as I figured
Our ship couldn’t last
The waves ceased to tip us
As the storm rushed on past
And I saw Barry dancing
As the bowline he threw
To the merry inhabitants
Of Figgamaroo
The natives, Trifoggles
Saw with three eyes apiece
Their pets, Furboggles
Had luxuriant fleece
They handed us shells
Full of mackarine stew
They treat sailors kindly
On Figgamaroo
There was bo-bread with berries
And fru-fruit, cut fine
And we washed it all down
With cocopop wine
“Not nearly,” griped Gastro,
“As good as shell almondu”
But no one agreed
There on Figgamaroo
They gave us dessert
Parlie his stomach pattening
Asked wasn’t there something
A little less fattening?
The Trifoggles looked puzzled
The Furboggles barked, “Woo?”
They like their sweets rich
There on Figgamaroo
Barry went hopping
Through the tickle-me heather
Narli twisted a headdress
Made of fling-a-bye feather
“Now to business,” said Harry
As he put down his brew
“Will you trade with me here
On Figgamaroo?
”
They showed us nuzguzzles
And twoops of laparnet
And intricate cozmulles
Encrusted with garnet
For this they asked taffy
That they so love to chew
For taffy, they’re daffy
On Figgamaroo
A groan came from Otter
Whose job was to save
Our cargo from damage
From leak or from wave
For the taffy was sodden
’Cause the sea had soaked through
“It’s great,” said the natives
Of Figgamaroo
Now I’ve been all over
By boat, ship and liner
And I’ve always loved travels
But there never was finer
Than that trip of discovery
When Harry’s old crew
Traded salt water taffy
On Figgamaroo.
*An excerpt from Without a Tear: Kindly Tales from Open Hearts, a collection of short stories and poems by Will Wright. It is available from Smashwords.com