Request by Monkey D. Anea
(The Art of Forgiving)
He's a pirate
It's as simple as that
And pirates are mean
And terrifying
And dark and bloodthirsty
(As captain, it's his duty
To be as mean and bloodthirsty as they come)
.
He doesn't have any honor
Or dreams
Dreams are for children
And fools
.
When he sees the kid
Scrawny and innocent-eyed
He convinces himself he's doing the kid a favor
Sure, the brat might wake up tomorrow
With two black eyes
A split lip
And a little less hope in the world
But he won't survive as a pirate
(Especially not as a captain)
If he keeps believing in fairy tales
(He tells himself that
As he smashes the scrawny, innocent eyed boy's face
Into the counter)
.
Next time he sees the kid, he's got a look
A glint in his eye that says he means business
He hesitates
Before shaking it off
(After all, what can the kid do,
No matter what price there is on his head?)
Apparently a whole lot,
And he thinks of that innocent look
The kid wore
While he talked about islands in the sky
As he feels his jaw cracking
Under the force of a punch
Thrown by someone he was convinced
Would never hurt a fly
.
Pirates have to be strong
He knows that
But fools
And children
Are not
So it's no surprise
His conviction
Concerning fairy tales
And make believe
Is shaken
The kid is a captain
And strong
(Before he thought he was just a child
And a fool
For believing in the impossible)
He isn't so sure anymore
About dreams
(And he decides
The only way to truly know
Is to find out for himself)
.
It's surprising
How much brighter things seem
When carnage
And destruction
Is not their destination
He still likes a good fight
But now he knows
There is a reason to fight
He has no right
To forgive the brat
For something he brought upon himself
But he decides
Then and there
Standing on top of clouds in a land no more than myth
That the next time he sees him
He won't be the one to start a fight
(Not if he can help it)
.
When he does see the kid again
He decides
This boy
Is not a boy after all
But a captain
And certainly not a fool
He may not be the brightest
But intelligence was never a quality needed
To be a captain
He has voiced his faith to a king
Yet his loyalty
Belongs to this pirate
(Who may be a King anyway)
He is just sorry
For not believing in the first place
.
He's a pirate
It's as simple as that
And pirates are mean
And terrifying
And dark and bloodthirsty
(As captain, it's his duty
To be as mean and bloodthirsty as they come)
But a requirement to being a pirate
Is to have a hatred of rules
And common conceptions
Pirates are mean
But he is loyal
And fearsome
And excited and free
Because before he is a pirate, he's a friend
And he knows
As he raises his blade
(Against his will)
To strike at the lean and frenzy-eyed captain
He is forgiven