A Parody Of 'The Night Before Christmas'

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the fort
Not a creature was stirring, from starboard to port
A treasure, bait, was laid near the harbor with care
In hopes that Jack Sparrow would soon be there
Not one of the soldiers were home in their beds
My order for silence still rang in their heads
After tonight, I was thinking with glee
Sparrow would no longer plunder the seas
Then out in the harbor there 'rose such a clatter
Not one of us moved- we knew what was the matter
Then, with my signal, there went up a flash
The next second later an ear-splitting crash
Now we all moved, each to a window
And looked at the scene in the harbor below
And what to our expectant eyes should appear?
The Black Pearl in the water, close to the peirs!
I sprang to my feet, lively and quick
I knew from that moment we had them licked
More rapid than eagles my cannonballs came
I shouted to all of my men by name;
"No Gillette, now Groves! Now Murtogg and Mulroy!
Run out the guns! We've got them, boys!"
-The cannons were jumping on top of the wall-
"Now fire away, fire away, fire away all!"
As dry leaves before the hurricane fly
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So the pirates scattered, up the harbor they flew
With the bait that we set- and Jack Sparrow, too.
And then in a twinkling we were down from the roof
To keep the pirates from making off with the loot.
And as I ran on the sandy, wet ground,
Down the beach Sparrow came with a bound.
His clothes were salt-crusted from head to foot
His smelled all of rum, and gunpowder soot
A bundle of treasure he had flung on his back
He looked like a beggar with his stuff in his pack.
His eyes, how they twinkled! how mischievously merry!
Beads strung in his hair like a bush full of berries;
His teeth shone out in a devious grin
And little spangles swung from the beard on his chin.
With a sword and a pistol he was armed to the teeth,
His old hat encircled his head like a wreath.
With a ring on his hand and a belt 'round his belly
His bandanna was the colour of cranberry jelly.
He looked so impish; a right evil old elf
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself:
By the look in his eye and the tilt of his head
I knew already there was nothing to dread.
We spoke not a word and fell to our work
I soon had him at sword-point; he gave up with a jerk.
In moments I had them all in a cell in the fort
What a Christmas for pirates- they all loked out of sorts.
As I walked away, I began to whistle;
I'd hang them all ere tomorrow's dismissal.
But I turned and exclaimed, ere I went out of their sight:
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

THE END