Opinion / Op-Ed
By David Clark Done |
Introduction from Ocean Shores author David Clark Done
The chapters of my book And Man Made God In His Image carry one unifying theme: opposition to institutional oppression and hatred spread across the world and throughout history. While it is a “historical” book, it is not an essay. There are no footnotes, and no bibliography. It has been written using a combination of prose and poetry. I have tried to avoid flowery writing. I am following a literary tradition that calls for lines of poetry to be like “diamonds.” The idea is that the lines must be written in such a way that they become hard and clear, like the most valuable diamonds. My idea is to present this history in a personal, bonding way, one that will allow the reader to feel what has happened with absolute clarity.
As a child I wandered the streets
Of London, homeless and without ties
Stealing what I could, begging alms
and taking what was offered.
Little ever came my way, so
As a young man, devoid of chances
I went to sea in the English navy
and served at the whim of old men.
I scrubbed decks on my hands and knees
Until I caught the eye of an officer
Who bade me come to his cabin
And took from me all that he could.
His was a cruelty without bounds,
A lust without limits and
No one cared or dared
To bring him to heel!
I was held in captivity,
always kept on board
Locked up and always alone
Never allowed to go ashore.
Many came and went in service
Of the King, some told tall tales
and stories of a life sailing free
With the masters of the sea,
In low voices with their whispers
quiet below the waves that rocked
Our hulls, they mapped out a course
For me to take, an escape
From the slavery of the sea.
And so one moonless night
anchored in the shallows.
I took heart, and dove in,
And swam my way ashore!
I was young with muscles made
Firm from work with a heart
Hardened like steel to resist
The tyranny of the crown!
I wandered the island rounds
Until I found entry to a pirate
Band of manly men all bound
To serve one another
And share in all the gains
And bounty of their trade
As equal brothers in arms
Swearing fidelity to the
Pirates code, holding fast
To its rules, honoring it
and acting as if we were
Of one mind and one soul.
A code which declared that
Every man had a vote
In the affairs of every moment!
And each man had a right
To all food and supplies
And to all strong liquors
And a share of plunder gained
And every man pledged to fight
And hold his ground until death
And to remain loyal to the
Code and his brothers forever.
These were the pirates of the sea
Men without countries
Men without families
Living under the pirate flag!
These were the men of Matelotage
Or pirate couples who shared
Affection and all possessions
While pledging their lives and loves
Together, as one being, married
With one face standing in defense
Of each other, protecting each other
As they fought side by side in battle,
Having a “mate” was personal
And professional, a vow
that pirates made, and the word “mate”
traces to the marriage of men
To men, living in pirate clans
That were born to steal
on the high seas
And thrive outside the law!
These bands, thousands strong
Lived to plunder and pillage
And love and thunder
Under the sun, outside the law!
So I record these words,
Of freedom from tyranny,
Of living a life under the sign
of the skull and bones!
And yes I sing aloud
Yo, Ho a Pirate’s life for me!
Yo, Ho a Pirate’s life for me!
A Pirate’s life for me!
And Man Made God In His Image is currently available on Amazon, will be available for .99 cents on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) for five days, from August 30th - September 3rd, and is free for anyone with Kindle Unlimited.
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