Lesser Poetry and Tributes

Skipper Frank

Whereas, Herein Will the Listener Find A
Declaration of Devotion, Honor, and Obeisance to the
Esteemed Skipper, Admiral, and Captain Frank
by the Loyal and Longsuffering Crew of the Pepperke

Whereas, We the loyal crew of the Pepperke,
would sail to the ends of the Earth or Lake Michigan
for the honor and glory of our Skipper,
Whom, we, the Loyal Crew of the Pepperke,
Rank as standing shoulder-to-shoulder with
The great captains of the world
Such as Ahab, Bligh and Queeg, and

Whereas, we, the Loyal Crew of the Pepperke,
Proudly conquer Wave, Whitecap, and Wind
In order to honor the glory of
Our esteemed Skipper, Admiral and Captain Frank, by
Overcoming odds and exploiting handicaps, to
Emerge Victorious on Lake Michigan, the
Queen of the Inland Waterways in the great Landmass
Known as The United States of America,

Whereas, while, and whenever, in accord with
Fundamentals of navigation skills as delineated in
H. O. Pub. No. 9,
American Practical Navigator
An Epitome of Navigation,
Originally by
Nathaniel Bowditch, LL.D.,
1962 - Corrected Reprint
Published by the U. S. Navy Hydrographic Office
Under the Authority of the
Secretary of the Navy
United States
Government Printing Office
Washington: 1962(1)
Our Honored and Esteemed Skipper and Captain, could be considered
Navigationally Disadvantaged

Whereas, Just as The Honorable Captain Christopher Columbus
Made the most important navigation blunder in
History when he serendipitously discovered the
Esteemed United States of America, the
Fruitful land in which we are now
Blessed by independence, democracy and freedom, and

Whereas, Never a follower He, the
Esteemed Captain Frank
Epitomizes this spirit of independent individualism
During regatta's and races
By selecting navigational marks and buoys
Undiscovered by lesser competitors, and
Rounding these Marks and Buoys in Solitary Splendor, and

Whereas, the Chandler Store has depleted its stock of doves(2),
We, the Loyal Crew of the Pepperke,
Must make-do with a poor humanly-conceived
Substitute for Divine Intervention,

Whereas, and In Conclusion,
We, the Loyal Crew of the Pepperke,
hereby bequeath on Skipper Frank,
A small token of our appreciation
For many hours, minutes, and days of
delightful trials and tribulations,
Dancing with the Wind and the Waves,
But more often becalmed,
Hot or cold, hungry or thirsty,
Sometimes lost but Always searching for our mark and
Victorious Glory in the Race,
Against the River of Time on the
Lakes of Reflection of the Past, Present and Future,
In the Pepperke,
The Mother of all Ships and Vessels that have
Plied the great Waterways and Oceans of our
Grand and Noble Chunk of Heavy and Light Metals
Condensed from a PreHistoric Cloud of Interstellar Matter known
Herein, and Hereafter Forever, as the PreSolar Nebula,
Which has been Enriched in the Ways of Astrophysics
by Generations and Generations of
PreStellar nebula, begetting Stars, begetting Supernova,
Begetting more PreStellar Nebula, begetting more Stars and More Supernova,
Until finally one of these Supernova, in an episode of
Sequential Star-formation
Begat the PreSolar Nebula
Which finally begat the Sun and Solar System
Which begat the Earth with its Great Inland Waterway
Lake Michigan, by the Great City of Chicago, and by the
Great Suburb of Hinsdale,
Which begat the Great Captain Frank,
Who is the Skipper in Command,(3)
Of the Great World-Class Vessel
The Pepperke

THE END
(Thank Heavens)