#FallWritingFrenzy 2024 (Winner!)
Happy to be one of the winners!
Hello #kidlit friends! It’s time for one of my favorite writing events of the year- #FallWritingFrenzy hosted by Lydia Lukidis and Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez, and BONUS- Ebony Lynn Mudd is now a permanent judge!
In this contest, writers select an image from a group of seasonal pics the hosts provide, and write basically whatever the imagerial muse summons.
This is the image I chose this year. I love Halloween and the spooky vibes it brings, and have always been fascinated with stories from the rollickin’ sea. So this image grabbed me (so to speak).
Image: Unsplash via Daniel Jensen
““The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ”
This year I wrote my entry as a sea shanty. Here’s a bit of the tune to set the mood.
Okay, onto the entry! I recommend plenty of hand clapping and foot stomping as you read or sing along. Pull your friends into the chorus!
Thanks so much for being here!
Anchors aweigh!
Ghost Shanty
(191 words)
When daylight broke they made their way
Down to the docks at Skel’ton Bay,
With rosy cheeks against the gray
A-glowin in the gloom,
Hey! Hey! The howlin’ wind,
It calls you once then back again,
“Make! Way!” The sailors grinned,
For that’s our captain’s tune,
The sea was rough but off they sailed,
The waves they thrashed, the wind it wailed,
They rigged the main and so prevailed,
Beneath a sailor’s moon,
Hey! Hey! The howlin’ wind,
It calls you once then back again,
Hold! Fast! The bitter end,
And heed our captain’s tune,
But back the mother sea did creep,
When all the crew was fast asleep,
And cast them far and cast them deep,
Into her watery tomb,
Hey! Hey! The howlin’ wind,
It calls you once then back again,
What once was sweet, becomes the din
That drowns our captain’s tune,
But from the churn the captain’s voice
Cried, “We have paid a heavy price,
But you can’t drown a sailor twice,
So sail my ghostly crew!”
Hey! Hey! The howlin’ wind,
It calls you once then back again,
If death we meet we’ll start again,
And heed our captain’s tune!
Thanks so much to the amazing founders, judges, and donors for your time and generosity! Click here for ways to support these fantastic folk, or click their pics for more info!
