Beneath the Waves
On a sunny Mediterranean morn.
Several hundred clambered on board.
Young and old with children together.
Unaware of their impending fate.
Out at sea the boat lurched to one-side.
Without warning the boat capsized in seconds.
Hundreds without lifejackets screamed.
Many trapped in the hull, below deck.
In seconds the boat began to sink.
Soon out of sight without any trace it had ever existed.
Survivors beat the waves with their fists.
Many unable to swim craned their necks for air.
Women held onto their children in futility.
A baby was seen somersaulting alone in a haze of bubbles.
It was each for himself, no other option existed.
Faces disappeared as inert bodies floated about.
Men wresting those who clung to them.
Some broke free to swim with all their might.
Beneath the waves bodies collided at various angles.
A frenzy of agony, gripped by fear.
They grappled with each other.
Then they fell away only to die.
Death came quickly, almost painlessly.
Their bodies glided in a circular downward spiral.
Into the deep, further from the reflections above.
Only minutes had passed for many to gasp their last breath.
Clothing unfurled as bodies drifted downwards.
Lifeless beings into a watery silent grave.
The strong and able swam with tears in their eyes.
Land was nowhere to be seen.
No words could be uttered.
The screams had abated.
The survivors with pounding hearts.
Lungs at bursting point.
Reached out for all they were worth.
There was still life but no destination.
Nearly all were beneath the waves.