Life in a Maine Coastal Town

The Coastal Schooner was the ship of the day
From Eastport, Maine to Boston Bay
With a hull to a hundred and easy on the eyes
With two to three masts and a top-gaff up in the sky
It was the easiest method to deliver the freight
With a cost that was a reasonable rate
Carrying north weapons, tools, and other stores
Returning trip south with lumber all stored

The trip to the south was two or three days
The return to the north just took a day
Time in Boston was the time of two tides
Then back home for a few days alongside

A boy of twelve could earn two dollars a trip
Shipping as the low man on the ship
He could make maybe six trips a summer
Learning the ship and grading lumber

Returning to school mature beyond his years
From what he had experienced without shedding tears
Subjects at school were more import for him
His desire for knowledge was no longer dim