The sunbeams rip and ripen,
Their vessel gains strength anew,
Shore in sight; sights set on gold,
The ocean glitters, cobalt blue.

Three brave men set out for riches;
A tale to leave you all in stitches.

Sand crunches; uncertain feet,
Map, when consulted, reassures.
Three brave men enter the cave,
Pursuing divine treasure's allure.

Three brave men set out for riches
A tale to leave you all in stitches.

Lusty, lustrous, lewd temptation;
They pick their way through cursèd loot.
The measure of their hearts' desires
Calls to them: acrid, acute.

Three brave men set out for riches;
A tale to leave you all in stitches.

There, on a battered, moulded chest:
A goblet; golden, rapturous.
Their leader gapes and loiters briefly,
Before inching forwards with avarice.

Three brave men set out for riches;
A tale to leave you all in stitches.

The captain trips, his fingers scuttle
And clasp so briefly round that chalice,
Skin brushes cold on unholy coins;
A monster rears its head with malice.

Three brave men set out for riches;
A tale to leave you all in stitches.

Savage sentinel of grail,
Its undead tongue lolls; it sneers
The corpses of his captive comrades
Fill up the captain's heart with fear.

Three brave men set out for riches;
A tale to leave you all in stitches.

But still he battles, bold and bravely,
As any pirate ought to do.
He cuts with cutlass, at the collar,
And with a slash, its head he hews.

Three brave men set out for riches;
A tale to leave you all in stitches.

Later, on the cliffs of mourning,
Stoic, he salutes his fallen crew.
The goblet brims with all his tears,
And despair taints the morning dew.

Three brave men set out for riches;
A tale to leave you all in stitches.

"Boys, it's time for dinner now!"
Hark, an angel! Death undone!
The crew rise with melodic peals;
The cardboard ship lies in the sun.

Author guidance for This poem

I was pretty proud of my work in this competition, and a time limit was something I'd never come up against before for poetry - I'd like to know how my poems would have gone down had the ratings been open to the "general public", so to speak.

That said, please check out the Tournament (http://www.protagonize.com/poem/2011-spring-poetry-tournament) for the rules on each round and to see the awesome work of the other competitors. Please bear in mind the conditions of each challenge before rating, as they (obviously) had a massive influence on each piece.

Poems away!

updated Apr 4 '11 by Miserabilia