Overlooking the bow of the ship
With nary a thing in sight but the lake they call Gitche Gumee
The waves crashing against the hull with a thunderous roar
Winds howling like the sound of a jet engine taking off
Nothing I have not seen before all these years at sea

My thoughts turn to home
A wife, a son, friends and family
Celebrating yet another birthday without me
Below I can hear the men at dinner equally jubilant
Soon another lake crossing will be met with pay checks

How did I get here all alone at the helm
Responsible for so many heading into yet another storm
Riding in and out like tides on the ocean of life
Highs and lows each day rippling through the hours of a journey
The aroma of my coffee brings me back to the present

Radar indicates others are around me but what are they up to
Racing to cover like we are or hunkered down already
In a safe cove readying for bed, dreams about to be launched
Like this ship when she was shiny and new and held out great hopes
For both crew and owners

Now my fears mount as does the heaving of the ship
Listing from side to side the fateful sounding of the alarm
Despite their best effort the engines are fighting a losing battle
For the first time my thoughts turn to failure
What if she actually went down to the ragged sea bed below

Sinking to the bottom like a stone tossed into a pond
My men scurry to ready the life rafts
We all know this will be in vain the seas too rough to set them adrift
Through their silence they too communicate our doom
It is now only a matter of time

And so we wait.

Andreas Simic©