Octopus Sonnets

They're having a "write a sonnet about an octopus and win an octopus familiar" contest on Puzzle Pirates, which you'd think would be something I'm good at. Here are the two entries I've written so far. The first one is basically "14 lines with a vague rhyme scheme with no rules" and the second is a totally rule-based singsongy iambic pentameter shakespearian sonnet.


A Close Call

The raging salty water floods the deck
as all crewmates run to their stations,
the pirates resisting the temptation
to dive asea and leave the sinking wreck.
We sail, we carp, we bilge. We fight
to defeat the monster of the ocean night.
Bravely the sailors run astern with swords
to slash at tough skin, drive it towards
The grey of midnight's sea. Its slithering pods
writhe in pain, reflect the waning moon
The kraken's hunger spelled its doom;
it bleeds black ink when bested by our squad.
Cheers now rock the boat, a victory riotous
of how we prevail while the tentacles fly at us.



From the Edge of the Deep Blue C

I sit beside the kaiten sushi bar
Just watching plates of yummy rice and fish
They ride on the conveyor belt so far
I'd like to pick up each and every dish.

But ho! what lurks upon incoming plate?
Nigiri pair, of purple hue and white
They look so tasty, I can barely wait
I'll grab them from the belt, and take a bite.

I dip one into soy sauce, just the rice
Wasabi adds a spicy flavor, too:
But when I eat it, much to my surprise
This octopus is WAY too tough to chew!

So friends, beware of sushi that looks odd,
And don't partake of raw cephalopod.