Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Poetry 2019 | Page 90

Requiem for a Voyager
Maryknoll Convent School (Secondary Section), Chung, Giann - 15
Sixty-two years of life,
Twenty-eight spent on sea.
I braved the islands and raging waters,
and I know this will be my legacy.
Our fleet went south,
with high winds and tall waves in our way.
With pirates and bandits on the oceans,
Many a time we were delayed.
In total I led seven different voyages, and
Each venture gifted me with new discoveries.
With my great fleet and thousands of men,
we brought back knowledge and novelties.
Throughout the voyages and sailing,
my one wish was to return to my old life.
But now, it doesn’t seem so possible -
This illness might just take my life.
Will I make it back home,
or will I perish in internal strife?
I wonder if I have done enough.
Have I left my mark on history?
I wonder if the things I have done are just.
Will my name live on in glory?
After I move on,
will my descendants tell my story?
Now, as my life sways and flickers
like a windswept leaf
I can only give in
and be glad I died with little grief
Give the king my apologies,
for I cannot report this last trip.
Tell my men how proud I am,
to have them aboard my ship.
Sixty-two years of life,
Twenty-eight spent on sea.
As I close my eyes in a foreign land,
I know this will be my legacy.