346. THE ADVENTURE OF MR. HATTERA

THE ADVENTURE
OF MR. HATTERA
I went to sea a nine-year old boy,
I came back a wizened old man;
too stiff to totter, too bent to
stand straight. All that I missed
I may have been told, but none of
it sticks any longer. I don't know the
meaning of half the words they use, and
I really can't imagine what they're
saying when told. Have I just
grown too old?
-
My life was one big adventure,
from the bloody start to this
bloodied end. I killed a man
in Port Au Prince and kept
running ever since then.
Now, apprehended but as a
scold, I know no one wants me,
I know no one knows me, and
I'm too old (I'm told).
-
A firing squad wouldn't be so bad.
When the final shot hit, it wouldn't
make me sad. I might even feel glad.