My owner lived in Hamburg by the name of F. Laeisz;
for him I carried barley from SA, across the far flung seas;
thus earning him the money to pay off all his fees.
I was the fastest ship around, I was not just any boat;
and many a race I would win and give much cause to gloat;
of how at thirty k’s per hour No-one could beat me to the coast.
And waiting at the dock for me to appear;
were men and women who would stop to clap and cheer;
for I was the greatest of the windjammers, the almighty Pamir.
But alas, my times were not to be always as glorious as those;
for, of course, it was not long before modern fueled ships arose;
and as my speeds were overtaken my profits began to doze.
Soon Laeisz’s fine company had not a coin to spare;
and I was left to trade whilst in a horrific state of disrepair;
not a single person on earth seemed to have a reason left to care.
Past Cape Horn, south of Chile was my very final trip;
somehow I claimed the title of the last commercial sailing ship;
until, upon this voyage a cyclone caused my deck to tip.
One sail, two sail, three sail, four;
it was not as if my existence mattered anymore;
for in a world consumed by petrol, gas and oil – what could this old windjammer now ever be good for?
~ Ashton Jude, year 7, Birdwood Primary School
