~ Balls to Four ~
It was “haze gray and underway”— A mantra from my youth— That turned my mind to retrospect, To lessons learned, in truth. The mists of time hang 'round me now In never-ending lines; I left my home for haze gray walls And ten-peseta wines. With tapas, but without a thought, In stand-bars near Cádiz, I’d naught a clue to where I was, What ghosts that I drank with. The Pinta or the Niña crew May well have hoisted there Before they sailed with Cristóbal, But I was unaware. The moments of my life sail past Like frigates leaving shore; Jack Tar was I: a swab by day, A helmsman, balls to four. ~ Dean Neighbors ~ The term "balls to four" is Navy slang for the midwatch, the four-hour shift typically standing from midnight (0000) to 0400. Jack Tar is an English slang term for a sailor, originally referring to those in the British Merchant or Royal Navy during the age of sail. It has to do with the wearing of Tar in the hair. As a water repellent.