The King of the High Seas went down today,
To the bottom in a furious gale storm.
The skies were stormy,
Dismal,
And oh so gray,
Times in general were certainly not the norm.

The Congress was deeply divided for eighty years,
Contesting in a huge ongoing tug of war.
Bitterness fueled embattled rages,
And fears
Of what the future lay in store.

The Captain king carried gold from Panama,
All the way up to the Bank of New York City.
The man was hot
when he offloaded more than the value of one fifth
Of the US GNP,
When the wicked fiends surrounding him appeared
So selfish and greedy.

He picked up the gold in Panama,
Then sailed all the way to Havana,
Knowing well what he carried was smoldering white hot,
But he was highly experienced in dealing with his agenda.

When his steam ship was floundering
And sinking,
Eyewitnesses noticed the rubber seal around the boiler house severely leaking,
From a single hole the convenient size of a marlin spike,
Obviously bearing a larger intention of delivering national economic fright.

Herndon’s poor heart bled
As he over and above so selflessly led
Many innocent passengers into lifeboats safely;
Inside his brilliant head he held such a skillful gift,
And could have easily jumped ship.

Somewhere Herdon must have been earnestly threatened,
Both himself and his family.
Should he not comply then his both his clan and his legacy
Would always live regretting,
But this Mafioso styled central banking truth
Has yet to be part of recorded American history.

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H.L. Dowles has been published in hundreds of magazines, zines, literary journals, and by many traditional publishers. He thoroughly enjoys living life on the edge.