Alone in his boat, Bryan faces a huge storm. 1st place, Stories Of The Sea, 11-10 |
Bryan And The Storm Bryan gunned the engine of the small boat as high as he dared He headed out to sea, he thought there was no one who cared There had been an argument and harsh words were said, He finally raced away crying, no matter how much she pled The sky was threatening; in the distance were white capped peaks But he ignored the signs, though the storm had been forecast for weeks His tiny boat was tossed on waves that loomed in front ever higher Determined he continued on, he knew he wouldn’t tire He began to hear whispers in the wind, as it whistled past his mast, “You fool!” “How could you?” “Why’d you run away so fast?” Three statements on the wind, seemed to damn him to his core But he remained resolute, and continued on as before The storm increased in intensity, the waves grew ever tall Threatening Bryan in his little craft, his speed slowed to a crawl The whispering continued louder, until it was almost a shriek And Bryan began to realize, his outlook was pretty bleak Now the waves loomed over Bryan, strange shapes could be seen A gigantic head, a mouth, sharp fangs that looked deathly green Hands seemed to form, only to have it all slowly disappear But the next wave formed something new, and Bryan began to fear Each wave was a new creature, spawned from Neptune’s deep lair Slowly Bryan lost his confidence, and fell into a bit of despair From the peak of one giant wave, his craft plunged straight downward The towering wave loomed above as its foamy fingers lashed outward. Bryan was plucked from the boat, and tossed about on the waves, His craft quickly disappeared among the peaks, but he remained brave Still he heard those words on the wind, questioning his decision To leave her so quickly as he did; whispers now filled with derision Helpless in the power of the storm, tossed to and fro from peak to peak He knew his life was nothing in the storm; its outlook was pretty bleak Bryan began to realize what he’d done, how foolish he’d been And knew he was stupid in his anger and haste, felt a bit of chagrin Suddenly a wave lifted him high on arms that seemed to reach Far below he saw an expanse of boulders, lying on a beach The wave slammed Bryan down, throwing him toward the rocks and sand But a new wave formed below, and seemed to catch him in its hand Bryan found himself on his knees, the waves receded slowly away He heard a soft whisper, “You have a second chance, live another day, Go to the one you love, tell her how you feel, or you’ll find That the next storm you decide to brave; will not be near as kind.” Jim Dorrell 11/20/10 40 Lines |