On Her Way Down

The riggings
Shriek and moan
Of the hulk
Hurled by winds
By seas.

It is a shrill
Extended lament
Exceeding that
Of the most
Desperate widow.

It is the groan
Of lost souls
The siren of the seas
Rooting the mind
Never to leave.

It is the whine
Of tortured spirits
Climaxing
With decks awash
With creaking timbers
With brackish spray
With scorching jets
Salting the seafarer
With brimstone
From the shattered masts.

The devil takes those
Who cower ‘neath
The cry of the damned
From the rigging
Of the doomed
On her way down
Down
Down
Forever lost
And down.