CXI - The Message

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The Message

I sat and wrote a little note
As plaintive as can be
Stuffed it in a bottle
And chucked it in the sea.

I paced my little island
Waiting for a sail
To appear on the horizon
And remove me from my jail.

At last a ship appeared,
Upon the seventh day;
They threw a bottle overboard
Then turned and sailed away.

I waded out to fetch it
And struggled back to land;
I sat beneath my palm tree
With the message in my hand.

“Dear Applicant” it went,
In a language without smiles,
“Our lifeboats are all full today
But we’ll keep you on our files.”

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© J Cosmo Newbery
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