Halley's Comet White Lance Cast Through Black Night Sky Poem by Terence George Craddock

worked shifts sometimes in a harbour office
read observed coded weather telephoned reports
in numberedformat to met office every 3 hours

talked to cement ships occasionally on 2182kHz
emergency channel then shifted to a working channel
while they were at sea approaching river harbour

gave local marine weather reports local conditions
called harbour master in at night on midnight to 8 a.m. shift
or 4 p.m. to midnight shift at his home when ships

were close to river mouth due to berth in harbour
released lines from wharf so ships could sail on tide
took in lines attached to bollards when ships berthed

worked in all weathers watched Halley's comet for hours
watched with naked eye with binoculars a spectacular sight
among stars glorious on clear night after night years past

comet head white bright eye pierces dark sky like a lance
long tail a horses long mane a quarter moonlight bright
dark dark sky banished cannot stop impede cast lance light