SEA STORM

The lighting flashed, the thunder roared
Stinging rain from black skies poured,
The ship was tossed by wind and wave
The crew fought hard, their lives to save.

The gale that clawed at man and sail
Had caused the stoutest heart to quail,
The sea that crashed across the decks
Had been the cause of countless wrecks.

Yet more lightning rent the air
Down below some crouched in prayer,
The thunder clapped a clamourous tune
While dark clouds blotted out the moon.

The lightening with a treacherous flash
Revealed a sight, men's hopes to dash,
Just ahead a jagged reef
Pierced the sea with hellish teeth.

Before men could as much as curse
Their desperate plight grew even worse,
From the yards the sails were stripped
The balance of fate irreversibly tipped.

Upon the deck the main mast crashed
Wood and bone alike were smashed,
All those dead and dying men
Would never see their homes again.

"Abandon ship!" the captain cried
Though till the end he would abide,
All who could, the young, the old
Leapt as one to waters cold.

Some beneath the waves did slip
Some were crushed 'tween rock and ship,
"Help us God!" did some beseech
The strongest swam towards the beach.

A tear rolled down the captain's face
He met his end with quiet grace,
His once proud ship broke on the reef
His wife would ne'er surmount her grief.

Alas she did not weep alone
For when inland the storm had blown,
Drowned men lay along the shore
The sea held on to many more.
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No lighting flashed, no thunder roared
No drop of rain from blue skies poured,
The waves were slight, a soft breeze blew
The crew fought hard, yet none came through.

COPYRIGHT D M PAMMENT 02/01/2010