Mel

He was a drifter
In search of a purpose
For the life he lived,
One of a multitude
Of such characters
Who wash up regularly
On the Hawaiian shores.
He came along
At just the right time,
Whether by design
Or outlandish circumstance,
And ended up becoming
One of the crew.
After a month at sea,
He declared he was
Going on a fast
And for the rest of the trip,
Water and crackers
Were just about all he ate.
This coincided with
The general rationing
That was going on,
So he just seemed like
A considerate soul,
A bit weird, but ok.
It was only after
We got to Pago Pago
That he told us the reason.
He was an epileptic
And he ran out
Of his medication
After a month at sea.
The one thing he knew
Was that seizures
Happen more often when full,
And that a seizure,
Had it occurred out there
In the middle of the Pacific,
Could easily have been fatal.
I was amazed
At how he managed that
And ever so thankful
That he didn’t let
That color our trip.