I am always asked
Why I joined the Navy,
I never fail to answer
I love the churning sea.

I love it’s frothy restlessness,
I love to tame it’s storms,
And plunge right through them
Like bowel – tearing worms.

I love the towering ships
With their snaky, silent run,
And the way it zigs and zags,
I think it real fun.

I love it’s booming guns,
I like the way they thunder;
Looking at their sleek profile
Just drops my mouth in wonder.

I love it’s stiff white uniforms,
It’s dark and glistening No 8,
It fills me with a mad desire
To try them on at any rate.

But I later found
Things are not so rosy,
And dreams fall asunder
When faced with a heavy sea.

The sea is still so charming
When looking from afar,
But if it comes to sailing,
I’d rather chase a star.

Note: This poem was written sometime in 1971 as a cadet at the Pakistan Naval Academy.