It’s soo ironic..
Maidens long the most
for sailors..
That they cannot
easily get.
It is a puzzle that I pondered
over many sleepless nights..
And still I haven’t gained
an inch of ground..
towards deciphering
this age-old mystery
quite yet.

But I shall serve it
my best justice..
with all the gusto
that I still have left.
But who am I?
I hear you wonder..
None other
than the one-eyed
blindly loving pirate..
humbly yours truly..
the poetic master chef!

As soon as purest love and safety
is what’s offered on The Devil’s menu..
even the shyest maiden
may develop a new appetite
for something else..
for something more.
And then,
the once delectable selection
that she previously ordered..
all of a sudden..
loses all its culinary worth.

If other maidens choose it..
surely it is a delicacy
to satisfy my palette as well.
But if it is a dish
untasted by the tongues
of other maidens..
Please send it back
to where it came from..
Straight to the kitchens
of hell!

If it comes cheap,
then I don’t want it.
If you so please,
then let it go to waste,
for all I care!
If, however,
I am forced to beg
for but a taste of it
upon my knees..
Then I must have it!
Name whatever price
that you may dare.

And Lord forbid..
if the dessert
you choose
to serve me
is all sweet..
without a hint
of any bitter
or spice.
The only treats
I crave and savor..
are The Ones
that have an aftertaste
of many salty tears..
pouring like rain
upon The Ocean..
from an innocent,
heartbroken
mermaid’s
eyes.

Don’t get me wrong,
dear maidens..
Your evolutionary instincts
are on point..
they’re often sharper
than a sailor’s trusty knife!
You’re not The Ones
who wrote the rulebook..
but still you are, indeed,
our fellow players..
within this ruthless game
of finding love in life.