A Merchant Mariner

"A Merchant Mariner" is a bref double written by Lawrence Eberhart on 18 April 2014.

Original text
A soliloquy mumbled while aboard a ship addressed issues encountered by conscripted men: the comforts found in surroundings I’d known, no thoughts of danger real or imagined- not everyday. With thoughts of carnality, adventure, hardship, rewards of sharing bounty, succeeding and then returning home after I’ve traveled, unraveled the wonderful mystr’ies that might hold me in sway. The captain, querulous, demands most constant yield from every man. The old first mate so hates the king he wrings more than mere duty from men on his watch. The nation we’re helping will repay us some day. I came home a hero. It was quite a long trip. But now that those days are passed, I’d do it again.