Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Poetry 2019 | Page 97

Zheng He
Shanghai Singapore International School, Miyasaka, Andrew - 13
Long time ago, over the sea,
There was a great pirate, ME.
I came from South East China,
In a place named Fujina.
My first epic voyage began in 1405,
My fleet I commanded had 208 vessels,
I was commander of as many men as bees in a beehive.
I had as many ships as a human had cells.
We travelled day and night for a fortnight,
To a land, now called Vietnam.
During our travel I had such a fright,
I had mistaken a merman for a clam.
Under the emperor’s rule,
we gave many glorious great gifts for the kings.
The presents were so beautifully marvelous, it would make anyone drool.
The king was like a little child, discovering he had wings.
My favorite voyage was my fourth,
The ship sailed to the Maldives and traded silk and spices along the way.
When we let people feel the softness of the silk cloth,
trying to get back the silk was like trying to get a dog’s bone to play.
When we came back,
We brought many people of the countries for the emperor to meet.
The emperor needed them for a problem to finally crack,
He had to know, how to destroy the barbarians that were elite.
My last and final voyage, was the last of the nation,
I was just sitting by the vast expanse of the ocean.
Watching the endless maze of scalding water, gave me a chill.
I watched for the first time, the ocean peacefully in tranquility, for I had become still.