Tuesday, March 3, 2009

321A. All Ashore.....!

I scribbled this little verse when I was on my recent cruise. When I worked on a cruise-ship in the 1960s one of the joys was having visitors swarming all over the ship when we were in port. When the ship was due to sail they were advised to leave! Now, however, a cruise ship is as hard to get into as Fort Knox. It made me a little sad.

ALL ASHORE…..

'All Ashore who's going ashore!' Remember that pronouncement?
When all the visitors on board obeyed the ship's announcement?
I recall life was relaxed in 1964
When visitors swarmed everywhere and then returned to shore.
Everyone from everywhere was free to come on board;
Friends and strangers chatted; security was ignored.
We didn't really understand 'security' as such.
The world was much more trusting and now it's changed so much.
'No visitors allowed' of course, and each passenger is frisked,
Checked and photographed as well. Our well-being's not risked.
Electronic gizmos block our way; our passports are perused.
 We're in a kind of fortress where we cannot be abused.
We're safe inside our little world, but I still long to hear
'All ashore who's going ashore!'
Ringing out loud and clear.

5 comments:

Margaret Gosden said...

Yes, it is very sad....you said it very well!

Jinksy said...

Sad reflection of our times, eh?

Mari Meehan said...

I long for days that will never return except through voices such as yours.

Kat said...

How true.... The world was much more trusting ... I still think the people are the same... It's the misled that's causing all this misery.

Winifred said...

A bygone age.

I was reading that one of the cruise lines frisks passengers returning to the ship for booze. Not allowed apparently, you can only drink their extortionately priced stuff.