bathtime pirates

After dinner, before books
A swarthy crew who played all-day
Require mom's attention
To scrub those pesky germs away

Kids step inside the vessel
Lay down to graze the hull
Ears dip beneath the water
Ensuring mama’s voice is dulled

Captain Mom is perched on starboard
Low back twisted, out of place
As she washes the small shipmates
Who wail of water on their face

Bubble beards smell like sweet berries
For sailors, it's summertime all year
The bath sea waves spill over port
Alongside pirate cheers

Mom gets down onto her knees
To towel up the shipwrecks' mess
Annoyed, defeated, nightly,
The mothership is put to test

Then, a feud for the same bath toy
One that’s graced the dock for years
Remained untouched, until a mate
Declared it gold to pirate peers

An irked mom removes the loot
And all the little raiders, too
Kids are cloaked, and each sent off
To their cabins, Yo-ho, yoo-hoo!

Water droplets leave a stream
And mom is weary beyond measure
But she knows the wild crew
Is a Captain’s greatest treasure