Adrift

From TSade

Ocean wind slaps against my face,
Leaving stinging flares of suffering
Along the red welts of whips.
Below my naked feet, the deck rocks and twists,
Moving with the eight-foot swells.
Only the chains around my neck and wrists
Save me from falling into the murky blue depths.
Soaked wind splashes against my body
Dripping off breasts and hips and sex.
Every welt and every cut is throbbing for attention,
But my hands are helpless inside their chains.

My crime was one of passion
Murder in the lust of anger.
The bastard who cheated on me and the slut who joined him.
I saw both of their funerals on television last night.
Hours after my crime was sentenced.
Thoughts are interrupted as they pull my body forward.
Tears lost in the spray of salt and water.
Thick boards jammed up against my neck
Clamping down and buckled shut.
One meter of wood in all directions,
A big wooden disk, three inches thick.
An edge to keep some of the water out.

Fear grows inside me as I swallow hard and
Throat touches against the hole they left me.
Hands guide me while faces sneer in anger.
Triumph in darkness and righteous in choice.
They all knew I was guilty
Even before the court started.
Chains are removed until it is me and my brace
Naked woman-flesh and a big wooden disk around her neck.
The walk is short when the deck gives out.
Dancing in air for just a moment
Before the cold water sucks me up.
A slap on the surface and I am treading water.

Cold surrounding me, swirling and shifting.
My vision bobbing along the swells
And rapping against the hull of the boat.
Everything is being touched by water
Breasts, hips, and thigh.
Cool water up against my sex
Colder still is against my growing nipples.
I try to scream, but nothing comes out.
Water lapping along the edge
And survival, however impossible,
Is suddenly more important.

Moments later, the panic is gone
Replaced with a growing terror.
Above me, they are laughing and cheering.
And dropping dripping meat into the water.
And I am here.
Naked and terribly alone.
Floating in red-stained water.
No need to tread, no need to swim.
The board keeps me alive.
There is nothing to do
But wait.

It doesn't take long for the first to swim by
Powerful, sleek, and deadly.
My executioner.
Fin slicing through air as it charges.
More fins cutting up through the surface.
The first brushes against my leg,
Smooth and fast.
Terror rips at my heart and I wait for the teeth.
It teases but doesn't bite.
Just a threat that grows deadly by the second.

Holding my breath, I try to stop moving.
Not to leave them a target.
It won't matter as the water begins to boil.
Adrift and alone.
In blood-filled water.

I know I deserve it.

I'm scared.

t'Sade
2004-09-23