Home
>
Poetry
>
A Ship to Remember

A Ship to Remember

Hammers. Timbers. Iron. Steel.

They're laying down a mighty keel.

As ant-like workers scurry round

I hear a truly riveting sound.

And as she rises midst the swarm

I see the beauty of her form.

(He has no soul who cannot see

How I am forced to call her "she".)

And then, 'a sudden, she's a ship!

She waltzes down that mighty slip.

Then, in the water, no splash, mind,

This lady floats. Oh! How refined!

Southampton docks: I want to feel,

And touch, and taste the British steel!

Palatial, and stately too.

(There was no like in Xanadu.)

The passengers, the crew, all we

Are safe aboard, so out to sea.

The cheers, the midget well-wish fleet,

That siren deck beneath my feet!

A jewelled city, in the night,

From shame, the very stars took flight.

Her mighty speed seemed but a creep,

So steady that she seemed asleep.

Indeed the city slept. A few

Remained awake, they mostly crew,

To feed the rav'nous boilers' maw,

To bake the bread, sort mail, and more.

I almost dozed and wished my bed,

But:

"Iceberg!", "Iceberg! Dead ahead!"

With straining engines, spinning wheel,

She strove to swerve her awesome keel

And almost, almost, but, not quite --

A straining shrieking rent the night

And rent her hull. (I took no fright.)

'Twas but a glancing blow", I think,

She will not, cannot, must not sink!

But down below the decks, unseen:

In sneaks the ocean cold and keen.

And as up each steel wall it grows

It reaches top, and overflows.

Boats are lowered. Ah! Sad few.

"Women and babes first!", shout the crew.

A panicked man, in dressing-gown:

"My God! My God! She's going down!"

"Nearer my God, to thee how near".

The band plays on, to calm the fear.

"You've done your duty, lads, now go."

But does the music stop? Oh no.

A fervent prayer to He who saves

As down she slips beneath the waves.

The silence!

Then those dreadful screams.

(I sometimes hear them in my dreams.)

Next morn, upon that sorrowed billow

A wreath, a chair, a toy, a pillow.

No souls, the souls are all asleep.

I stand in silent prayer, and weep.

Patrick Lockerby - March 2005

Born 1946, London, England.
Grammar-school educated.
Retired engineer.

Interests:
Anything at all to do with language & linguistics, esp. -- poetry, prose; natural language processing; control and communication in human systems; law, lies, logic.

move in cleaning service Mundelein ..

In The News:

Kodiak Driver autonomous truck achieves perfect 98 safety score, matching top human fleets in groundbreaking AI evaluation by Nauto's VERA system.

New 401k catch-up contribution rules in 2026 will change taxes for high earners over 50. Learn how scammers exploit these changes and protect your retirement savings.

Kurt Knutsson's guide covers social media privacy protection through location settings, account privacy controls and two-factor authentication to prevent scams and data breaches.

Revolutionary retinal implant restores central vision in 80% of patients with advanced macular degeneration, offering hope where treatments once only slowed blindness.

Learn how to use passkeys on Windows and Mac computers without cameras or fingerprint readers. Discover secure authentication methods that replace passwords.

Tesla's FSD v14.1.2 update reintroduces Mad Max mode, enabling higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than the standard Hurry profile setting.

A phishing email scam targeting American Express customers shows how cybercriminals use fake urgent messages to steal personal and financial information.

Facebook's new Meta AI feature analyzes your camera roll photos to create polished collages automatically, but requires cloud processing and raises privacy concerns.

A New Jersey teenager filed a major lawsuit against AI/Robotics Venture Strategy 3 Ltd. over ClothOff, an AI tool that created fake nude images from her social media photos.

Microsoft reports Storm-2657 cybercriminals sent phishing emails to 6,000 addresses at 25 universities to steal payroll credentials and redirect funds.

Astronomers have discovered asteroid 2025 SC79, a skyscraper-sized space rock orbiting the sun in just 128 days. the second-fastest known.

The Fox News AI Newsletter delivers the latest developments form the world of artificial intelligence, including the technology's challenges and opportunities.

A cyberattack on SimonMed Imaging exposed personal information of 1.2 million patients, including medical records, financial details and identity papers.

Spotify's managed accounts for kids under 13 now available in at least seven countries, allowing parents to filter and block explicit content and songs.

Friendly text conversations about BBQs and social events can lead to WEEX gold trading scams that target older adults with fake investment opportunities.

California company Skyeports creates self-healing glass spheres from Moon regolith that generate solar power and support plant growth for sustainable lunar living.

Cleafy researchers discover fake VPN streaming app Mobdro Pro that installs Klopatra banking Trojan, giving attackers full control over Android devices.

Police departments across the U.S. and Canada are adopting virtual reality training to better prepare officers for high-pressure, real-world situations.

House Bill 469 would prevent AI systems from owning property, serving as executives, or gaining legal personhood in Ohio under Representative Thaddeus Claggett's proposal.

Public voter records expose retirees' personal details to election scammers who create targeted cons using names, addresses, and voting history data.

Instead of fearing what comes next with artificial intelligence, think outside the box. Here are high-earning AI jobs that don't require a computer science degree.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says polite words like "please" and "thank you" cost millions annually, while direct prompts may improve ChatGPT accuracy by several points.

Chattee Chat and GiMe Chat exposed intimate conversations and photos, revealing users spent up to $18,000 on AI companions before the breach.

New Instagram parental controls allow families to manage teen screen time and content limits through the Family Center with stricter safety settings.

Third-party security breach at Discord exposes sensitive user information including government IDs, highlighting cybersecurity risks from external service providers.

A Ship to Remember

Poetry