Such wonder and misunderstanding

for an innocent to witness,

to watch,

to take part in the unravelling

of a human soul,

the loss of a mind,

the numbing of a conscience.

 

Such confusion as the ship,

once so steadfast as it sped with the wind,

starts to roll.

Hardly noticeable at first,

a slight suspicion of unease.

And then a little worse,

clearly not even keeled,

but dismissed as a consequence of the tide

and an irregular wind,

soon to be restored to normality.

 

Palms begin to sweat

when the ship does not right itself

for nay,

it is now listing hard.

Perhaps a leak.

All the best men below deck!

Their combined experience no match

for such a trifling inconvenience.

Some bailing,

some joinery,

she’ll be back on course.

 

Yet as the foolish sailors run below deck,

confident in their naivety,

the vessel tilts hard to starboard.

The sound of falling pots and pans echoes

through its warrenous interior

as the true extent of the damage

begins to dawn.

 

It is far worse than any could have guessed.

Frantic shouts ring out.

Someone bleats “how far are we from land?”

as panic sets in.

The damage is severe.

It has crept unseen in the darkness

whilst the crew enjoyed the sun on deck.

The captain must have known.

Surely he knew.

Support beams have been compromised.

The sinking of the ship,

the flagship of the fleet,

is almost certain.

No more can be done.

 

Flee to the life boats!

Save what you can!

She has begun to go under.

Sanity and innocence

are lost in her descent.

Ropes must be cut -

recoiling violently -

to salvage what little they can

from the depths.

 

A lucky few make it to the lifeboat,

a creaky,

brittle vessel

left too long in the sun.

No longer fit for purpose.

And besides,

they had never learnt to row.

But row they must,

frantically

towards the shore.

 

The haunting vision

of their vessel’s demise torments them

as they

stroke,

stroke,

stroke,

exhausted

towards the shore.

 

She is gone now.

Not even the mast remains.

Her sinking drifts

on the edges of their dreams.