A Tugboat Christmas


Ok, very few people here probably know that I, pantsukudasai56, am a rough and tumble sailor.  12346436_1086624831368893_8501589540086335528_n

Well, fact is, I am.  I may not be the most active of sorts, but I do try now and again to post up something for special occasions.  Well, Christmas is one of those special occasions, and for that, I have a little Christmas story to share that a sailor can appreciate.  I know this is a little off from the usual content that this site provides, but I hope that it can still be appreciated.

Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the tug,
Only the deckhand was stirring
The tea in his mug.

The dock lines were hung
By the fiddly with care
In hopes that crew change
Soon would be there.

The tug’s crew was nestled
Safe in their beds
All thankful the pilots
Had taken their meds.

Me, out of my float coat,
And warm woolen cap,
Had just settled in for
A short off-watch nap.

When down in the galley
There arose such a clatter
I rolled right back over-
didn’t care what’s the matter.

While the moon on the breasts
Of the calendar girls
Gave luster to New Year,
They twinkled like pearls.

When what to my wandering eyes should appear?
But a rusty old crew boat
Approaching, too near.

With a little old driver,
All Cajun and thick
I could tell right away,
That he wasn’t too quick.

More rapid than eagles
His curses, they came
As he yelled at his deckhand
And called out bad names.

Go faster!
Get moving!
He was boozed up and drooling!
He had a pistol!
The kind used for dueling!

He was dressed in his besties,
From his head to his testes
Three coonskins, a gator’s hide
And 2 robin’s nesties.

His eyes, they were bloodshot-
His dimples, all hairy
His hair smelled like onions,
His nose was quite scary.

Then up to the wheelhouse
The drunk Cajun flew
With reckless abandon,
Like he’d been sniffing glue.

And then with a clinking
A clunk and a shutter
He flew to the stacks
And slid down like butter.

But he spoke not a word
And went straight to his work
He ate all our junk food
This guy was a jerk!

No gumbo? He asked
Nay Nay, he demanded
For a spontaneous rampage,
It seemed like he’d planned it.

And laying his finger
Beside of his nose
He emptied its contents,
As if blown from a hose.

As I watched from my room
With great confusion,
I couldn’t make any sense
Of the midnight intrusion.

Then he sprang to his crew-boat
Still belching black smoke-
I know I’m up early
But this must be a joke!

And I heard him exclaim
As he steamed out of sight
“I drive boats by day,
And I pillage by night!”

Then up from my nap
I was suddenly wakened
It was all just a dream—
But why am I naked?

Song of the Day: Orphans of Doom/The Awakening (by Basil Poledouris)


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We’re closing out another year and it’s always time to reflect back on the events the we all experienced.

Here in Through the Shattered Lens we saw a new writer join the ranks with the arrival and addition of Alexandre Rothier. We also saw more and more of our writers grow in confidence with their writing. This didn’t just translate into more writing from them, but better as well. There’s Dazzling Erin with her constant surprise of finding new artists to share. Then leonth3duke who finally made the jump to truly appreciating horror. Leonard Wilson continued to find his voice with each new review he wrote.

I can’t forget necromoonyeti who continues to be my source of all things music and with each new band written I pick up something new to experience. Semtex Skittle showed the world his appreciation not just for the franchise of Final Fantasy but Sailor Moon as well and to that otaku are grateful. Speaking of otaku there’s the site’s own big bear of one with pantsukudasai56 who always brings in his choice recommendations in anime.

Then there’s Dork Geekus giving us his thoughts on things comic book. We also have trashfilmguru gracious enough to take time to share his unique take on horror, comic books both high and low-brow who also keeps the rest of us from drinking the Marvel Kool-Aid wholesale which makes for a better site.

Finally there’s my co-founder and partner-in-crime Lisa Marie Bowman who upped her game as she literally propped up the site at times with her voluminous, insightful and unique brand of writing. I will be forever grateful for her continued support and for becoming one of my closest friends.

I’ve chosen the latest “Song of the Day” as an analogue for what I witnessed — both personally and within this site — throughout the year 2014. I had just lost my father at the tail end of 2013 (a loss still felt even today) and then fell deathly ill around the holidays. Through it all, I remained thankful and proud of the work my fellow writers produced in my absence, despite my grief and illness.

Basil Poledouris has been an artist I’ve admired ever since I first heard how his music transformed John Milius’ screen adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s Cimmerian barbarian from a mere violent sword-and-sorcery matinee into something approaching a perfect blend of epic fantasy and primal storytelling. Poledouris went on to compose many other memorable film scores, but his work in Conan the Barbarian remains his most iconic.

In the film’s closing sequence following its climax, we hear the somber piece “Orphans of Doom/The Awakening,” which brings the story to a haunting yet uplifting conclusion. I chose this track to symbolize the year Through the Shattered Lens endured. It opens with an elegiac tone, underscored by a choir that imbues the music with an ethereal quality; yet as the piece unfolds, it gradually swells into something triumphant — a sound that carries hope for the future.

This composition perfectly encapsulates Through the Shattered Lens circa 2014, and it’s my hope that a brighter future awaits me and all who walk beside me as the new year dawns.