As Ever Like the Sun & Moon at War

8- ❂❂❂ -V

With silver band betwixt his fingertips,

admiring what he holds this moment one,

our Preacher's service sails to its close

as standing at the bow upon this ship,

approaching dock to moor this final time,

a decade serving in the navy comes

to close this twilit morn before the dawn.

He wishes he could jump with joy upon

this closing of his mandatory draft,

but in his gut there doth reside a pain                10

which threatens nausea simply at the thought;

he shivers at the humid morning air

and cooling mist of salt and foam that sprays,

for he is dizzy with a wooziness

that's kept him down below the deck a week

recovering from his addicted state

to break dependency on alcohol,

which to excess hath he consum'd these years

to make it through his service. Even ere,

he must admit, before his life was hard.                20

He banishes this hard confession as

the ship begins to slow and come to port;

the crew are running all about the deck,

preparing for a smooth approach to berth

whilst more are hauling up a net of fish

to bring a bounty when they home arrive.

Depositing the ring into his pouch,

our Preacher leans across the balustrade

at bow to join these hauling men in this

great heaving of the net upon the deck,                30

but with his swaying balance, sudden rock

of ship and th'weight of fish, his feet arise

and suddenly he's thrown to sea below.

If air above was cool upon his skin,

then waters all around are freezing him.

He thrashes with his limbs lethargic'lly,

for when above the water things had felt

to him—in this withdrawing state—as though

already he was treading through the air

as thick as water slowing motions down,                40

but now that truly he's in water's hold

th'effect is doubled more than twas before,

and choking him additional to this.

He closes both his eyes and in his mind

projected on his lids he sees a plane

of darkness occupied by flames ablaze

with silver light, begin to fill with brine,

which causes this inferno's wavering,

but dothn't quite extinguish how it burns;