Son of a Pirate

I am the son of a pirate. a modern day pirate. what you thought they were only pirates of the Caribbean? Oh no my little wenches and deck polishers, did you not know about the pirates of the Hudson?

Sit back me hardies and let me tell the true story of the "Pirates Of the Hudson".

In the murky river between New York city and New jersey, beneath the halls of industries' puffing stacks of billowing smoke, there once was a fleet of pirates. They freely roamed underneath the out stretched arm of the lady Liberty, contested by none. For within the stealthiness of the darkened night, did these pirates do their deeds.

Lady Liberty represented their motto, "Free to be sailors, Free to be Pirates" and in that time, the flame of liberty burned for them, lighting their way to the treasures on shore, these Pirates of the Hudson.

For in the land before the days of chain link fences, nosey security cameras and the stinging zip of motion sensors, there were bounties a plenty, waiting to be had on the docks that lapped up these waters of the Hudson River.
Boxed bounty, crated bounty or just open bounty begging to be rescued from these "islands of wood". There were rivers of swash buckling mouthwash flavored in gin, rum and scotch. there were jewels a plenty in the form of radios, TVs and other household items. there were buffets of food, meats and fishes, the kind that made a pirates belly ache for taste.
And dreaded and feared most of all, the flag ship of these scoundrel pirates - the swift and speedy tugboat, The Richard Key.

Its captain, a steely eyed, iron fisted man of the sea, whose name to this day cannot be whispered upon the Hudson with out sending security guards diving for cover in a gut shaking panic. For the sake of the Story, lets refer to my father as Captain "Dark Eye", master of the waters from the 59th street piers to the tip of Manhattan island.
In the years between the mid 1960's up until the early 1970's, their were none more adept at agility and covert operations than captain and crew of the Richard Key.

As night time befell the city and the residents sought shelter underneath the warmth of blankets in their homes, did the echoing of ship bells ring out, startling the stars themselves. there was no need for swords a blazing, nor was there necessity of blaring cannon fire, for the cover of a lonely tugboat looking for a port to lay her tired propellers to rest for the night, always did the trick. The Port masters weren't any less scurvy or dire, for they could be paid to glance away at the traffic in the street for a 20.00 dollar gold piece. it was whispered among all the wooded isles of the Hudson, "out of sight, out of mind", as the pass code and the coming of the pillaging and plundering of the mountains of imported goods from many a far away land.

And aye, they did plunder away and brought home the exotic treasures of the day. Many a day did arrive the worldly treasures through the doorways of my home. from freshly syphoned fuel, to banana bunches a plenty to finely crafted TV consoles, they did traverse the path ways of the Hudsons river to the main roads of the Garden State Parkway and down the little blackened paved street, awkwardly hanging from the back seat or overloaded trunk of a 1968 Pontiac le mans. Dark, like the captain Dark Eye himself, his faithful stallion of steel did carry his booty to his lair for all to see the riches that were spirited away in this excursion of duty.

My father was a pirate of the Hudson. One of many in the days of simple times, when outlaws provided for their families in ways that were never thought of as anything other than built from need. Yes i am a son of a pirate, and i can tell you, there are stories to be told, the likes of which you had to live to believe.
I am the Son of a pirate and proud to know these stories. And like many a good pirate story, they are to be continued.

this is theMightythor saying
See Ya!