South Street Seaport

“South Street Seaport”
Painting by Anderson Tyler
From artvalue.com

docks built by Dutch traders
old Schermerhorn Row moving
indigo spices the spectrum of teas
pearls and porcelain finding
exchange among English goods
drawn to the busiest port in
the colonies fortunes amassed
in conversion of cargoes to
specie and gold futures won
just as easily lost on the turn of
one voyage that fickle Atlantic
whose now and then baleful
eyes poured out most punishing
weather this maritime rowdy
casino of commerce dealt hands
steep with risk and reward
its deep pilings supporting a
capital system that grew up
to skyscrape the lofty ambitions
of liberty’s greatest experiment