The Palatine set sail one day
Left her port with a brand new crew
And a long list of passengers
But, disaster would be her due

Headed for the Americas
Became a victim of ocean gales
Troubles between Captain and crew
The winds shredding her worthy sails

By the time the final storm hit
Her Captain was dead, murdered by crew
The passengers now prisoners
Of their fate they hadn't a clue

Forced to pay for each slice of bread
For each drop of water to drink
Until the crew abandoned ship
Without them she was doomed to sink

Finally, just off of Block Island
The battered ship could take no more
Palatine slipped beneath the waves
Amazingly not far from shore

Islanders bravely faced the storm
To rescue all of those they could
Half sunken she was a hazard
They set fire to that hulk of wood

As the ship burned islanders heard
The screams of a woman left behind
She was confined during the trip
Because, some said, she'd lost her mind

Every year since that fateful day
Around the day of the tragedy
The Palatine appears yet again
Burning once more for all to see

(C)
Copyrighted
23 October 2011
by
Paul D. Berube