Captain of the ship Fool - pipTalk Forums

How to Join	Member's Area	Private Library	Search	Sanctuary		Login
Main Forums	Discussion	Tech Talk	Mature Content	Archives	A home without a wall, Our haven without ends, A circle we all call Our Family of Friends!

JL
Member Ascendant

since 2004-04-01

Posts 6128
Texas, USA

0 posted 2011-10-22 06:58 PM

Captain of the ship Fool
(From a short story “Thirty Days in Brazil”)

Dearest Julia,

Just three words I must say to you,
words pressing heavily on my heart,
even though they will make me seem
such a fool –

I love you…

You are beautiful…
Your spirit is love.
Your heart is pure and giving.
You are generous in all that you do.
Your eyes are precious,
and your smile
so sweet that it seems
to warm every day around you…

My prayers are for you.
My thoughts are always about you.
My heart aches with hope in your favor.
Whenever I can, I imagine glimpses of you.
So bleeds my heart,
so aches my mind and heart,

I love you…

I bless God in heaven for you;
I believe He crossed our paths, you and I.
He filled my sails full with His breath –
Winds, to push my ship to your shores,
to your home in Brazil,
and the Wellington Pub.

Even if only for one reason,
no other reason except
that I might be a fool –
A fool
in love with someone,
someone whom I should not.

I shall never see you again,
this letter may never be
graced even by your shadow.
But if your eyes meet it someday,
know for whatever reason
I had those few treasured moments.
For a small, small season.
For just a moment, a single strand of love
which shall never be undone,
which shall remain buried deep within my heart.

I love you…

I know I was to meet you one last time
one last night, to bid a farewell, yet I could not.
My heart fill with tears, I boarded my ship
and set sail for America.

My wife and child are to meet me there.
Where we will build our life, as a family should.
I shall never sail this way again, never.
However, Julia,
forgive me for being so weak,
and unwilling to restrain my passion.
Remember my three words I am compelled to say,

I love you…

And yet, three more:
Please forgive me…

I shall miss you, my dearest Julia.

Captain Hal Pennington
HMS Fool

===============================================================

This is a letter found in 1927, in New York City, in a hidden compartment in a jewelry box belonging to a woman named Julia.  She was 89 years old when her landlord found her dead and alone in her apartment.  Julia was born and lived in Brazil until she was in her late 50’s when she moved to New York, USA.  Her mother of Portuguese heritage and a citizen of Brazil; her father was from England.  He was an “Able-Bodied Seaman” working on a merchant ship, which made frequent trips to Brazil.  On one trip he was shipwrecked in a storm just off the coast of Brazil, near Natal.  When rescued he decided to give up being a merchant sailor and stayed in Natal.  He met a beautiful woman named Anabela.  They were married after a short engagement of four months.  They built and expanded a British style boarding house and pub, “Wellington Pub”.  Julia worked there just after her mother, Anabela, had died at the very young age of 34.  Julia was 18 years old when she met Captain Pennington at her father’s boarding house and pub, which after many years had become a favorite place for merchant sailors from all over the world.

From a short story “Thirty Days in Brazil” which I am trying so hard to complete.

*

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,and with all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Maranatha!

[This message has been edited by JL (10-23-2011 04:22 AM).]

JerryPat2
Member Laureate

since 2011-02-06

Posts 16975
South Louisiana

1 posted 2011-10-22 08:11 PM

Love has many ways to make us fools, this is one of those ways. Good luck on the short story.

~* If they give you lined paper, write the other way. ~*~

suthern

Member Seraphic

since 1999-07-29

Posts 20723
Louisiana

2 posted 2011-10-22 08:57 PM

My prayers are for you.
My thoughts are always about you.
My heart aches with hope in your favor.
Whenever I can, I imagine glimpses of you.
So bleeds my heart,
so aches my mind and heart,

I love you…

I bless God in heaven for you;
I believe He crossed our paths, you and I.
He filled my sails full with His breath –
Winds, to push my ship to your shores,

Beautiful and bittersweet... I love this tender missive! *S*

Lori Grosser Rhoden
Member Patricius

since 2009-10-10

Posts 10202
Fair to middlin' of nowhere

3 posted 2011-10-23 07:08 AM

Very, very nice work here JL! I'm impressed.

Keep trying you'll get there.

Lori

Alison

Member Rara Avis

since 2008-01-27

Posts 9318
Lumpy oatmeal makes me crazy!

4 posted 2011-10-23 06:58 PM

I really enjoyed this. Very poignant poem.

A

Dinosr
Member

since 2011-10-08

Posts 68
Yavapai, Arizona

5 posted 2011-10-24 10:35 PM

Jl,
..Beautiful.
Can't wait to read the book.
Karl

Michael

Moderator

Member Rara Avis

since 1999-08-13

Posts 7666
California

6 posted 2011-10-25 04:02 PM

This is enchanting, JL... and don't feel compelled to rush the completion of your story. It's never worth it. The race isn't always won by the fastest.

Very enjoyable piece. I hope you will share the completed story with us.
Michael

	⇧ top of page ⇧
All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format.