The
Mighty 'E'astwind
by W. D. Bonner
Here
I stand at the end of the old pier,
looking
at the waters so deep and clear.
In
my mind I see the trials of the years,
and
I recall all of those so dear,
the
calls to duty in two foreign wars.
All
those buddies downing that last beer,
then
the roll and pitch of the mighty ship,
the
ship they called "The Mighty 'E'astwind",
her
two twin five inch cannons fore and aft,
never
failed in their duty the battle to win.
Now
that great lady of the Seven Seas,
has
plowed her last voyage in a breeze,
and
her guns are gone, their turrets too.
Six
generators, engines and motors ceased,
it
is so hard to see her cold and bare!
Here
she stands by me, tied to the pier,
we
are both old, rusty, and too proud
to
shed a single tear,
or
complain of life's hard clout
as
we both approach life's final bout.
For
her majestic features and fine steel,
are
now headed for the Gillette razor factory.
And
she will again be as sharp steel,
cutting
the beards as she did the polar ice,
neat
and clean with each slice.
In
polar ice fields, she served her purpose well,
At
battle she always reigned supreme.
Honing
the reason for all life, to be honest and true,
I
pray this account of "The Mighty 'E'astwind"
will
live on forever in our dreams.
Semper
Paratus
An Eastwind Reunion is planned for May 2004 in Laughlin, Nevada. Contact Warren Bonner for further details.