A solitary man
on an orange raft
lost at sea.

He counts the days
three, maybe four
since his craft sank.

He is no longer lonely
or hungry
or sad.

He has some hope
but It is all in the flare at his feet.
Mainly, fear invades his mind.

It seeps in from the darkness.
The darkness that surrounds him
both night and day.

He can no longer distinguish between them
his senses are numb to all but the fear
terrorizing his nerves and preying on his brain.

He can take it no longer.
The flare is fired
a biting scream follows.

A thousand yards away
in the grayness of the fog
a pilot is on final approach.

He thinks nothing of the orange blink.
It is swallowed by the darkness to quickly

The next day, an orange raft
washes ashore
a lifeless body inside.

JNG 9-26-95