The Hour of Choice

From the cargo hold, she feels the ship going awry

Going right, going left, being whipped by the sea.

The wind and the waves squeeze and torment

The ship that moans and cracks.

There are holes, there is fear

The ocean will swallow it.

She knew it, she had seen the storm come.

There had been dark clouds for a few years now.

She should have taken her chances then,

Grab the lifeboat, row to the exotic island.

The sea was flat, reflecting the blue sky.

But the lifeboat looked so fragile

Compared to the massive ship she had been sailing on

She couldn’t take upon herself to leave

The relative safety of the ship

Despite its hidden flaws

Blaring at her face her upcoming doom

She sees now that the ship has reached its end.

She needs to go to the lifeboat and make a run for an island

She looks at her wrists, they’re manacled

Her crossed legs are chained to the boat

The key is lost in her past

The ship is cracking, the water is rushing

There is no leaving the ship.