Gather 'round children
Settle by the fire
It's time to tell the tale of a terrible tragedy
An anecdote that beseeches one to peer inward
Over, under, and through one's own soul
An undisputable bona fide legend
As a lubricated segue on account of your skeptical nature
We'll begin our story with a ship taking on water
A familiar trope to be sure
A sinister storm bent on destruction
The sails tear, the deck splinters, the hull cracks
Man overboard
Thrashing and choking
Our protagonist vanquished by the might waves
Is drawn into the depths
The stillness that followed would have you believe
That perhaps this was all a dream
That none of this ever happened
If not for the fangs of the sun on the back of your neck
Come to life again
Sea, sun, salt, and sand
Infinite coast line
Sea, sun, salt, and sand
Battered
Battered
Battered
Battered
Battered
Battered
Battered
Battered
Battered
Battered
Battered Bones
Palms cast shadows
How did you end up here?
Angles change
Refraction, reflection
How can this place be real?
Familiar figures flash
Fronds, ferns, faces
Look ahead
Look ahead
Look ahead
Look ahead
Look
Run
Bleeding feet carry battered bones
Torn sinew pulls every fiber
So it comes to this
A paradigm without a choice
Thrust upon us
As a wave might capsize a raft
Naught to be done except grasp for debris
Desperate to stay afloat
Look ahead
You already know what follows
Don't look back
Run Away
Run
Not even you are an island
Now face the demon dwelling within
Part of the whole fearful captain
This is no place for terror
Those luring eyes know sorrow
Tolling of the bell must follow