~ BY BABY KATTACKAL
Kerala, India
THE WINDOWS OF THE SHIP WERE ALL AJAR,
LETTING THE SWEEPING WINDS OF THE ARABIAN SEA IN,
TO DRIVE AWAY THE PERVASIVE STINK,
TRAPPED IN, OF THE GUNPOWDER.
FOR, THE SHIP WAS MOVING DETONATING,
SALVOS OF GUNFIRE AT THE ENEMY,
THE VESSEL WAS ROLLING,
LURCHING, SWAYING,
IN THE WAR TORN, TURBULENT SEA,
STIRRED BY FALLING BOMBS,
AS IF DANCING ITS WAY TO THE ODDS OF DEATH,
LURKING IN ITS WAY, UNMINDFUL.
TORPEDOS AND MISSILES WERE IN USE,
CAUSING EVERYWHERE EXPLOSIONS,
BUT THE VESSEL WAS ON THE MOVE,
ROCKING AND ROLLING ITS WAY FORWARD.
THE CAPTAIN, SAGACIOUS AND ALERT,
GIVING, ORDERS TO HIS MEN,
HOW TO MOVE FORWARD
AND CLUES, HOW TO BE STRATEGIC AND SAFE.
THE RADARS AND OTHER GADGETS,
ACTIVE TO SPOT THE ENEMY IN TIME,
TO STOP THEIR ADVANCE IN HIDING IN TIME,
AND TO DEFEAT THE ENEMY’S STRATEGY.
WITH THE FULL-BLOWN SUPER STRATEGY,
FOR IT IS NOT THE WEAPONRY THAT COUNTS,
BUT THE STRATEGY AND STRATEGY ALONE,
THAT MAKES A WAR, A BATTLE OF WITS.
A BATTLE OF UTMOST WISDOM,
THE CAPTAIN LONG EXPERIENCED,
IN THE WAR TECHNIQUES,
HAD WAGED MANY A WAR,
IN THE PAST WITH WISDOM,
COUPLED WITH EXPERIENCE,
AND THE INTRICATE STRATEGY,
OF A WAR OF WITS.
THE SHIP WAS IN GOOD CONDITION
AFTER A RECENT DRY- DOCKING
AND WAS SEAWORTHY
IN ALL RESPECTS.
THEN WHAT MORE WAS NEEDED
TO WIN A WAR OF STRATEGY
ASSISTED BY THE MODERN EQUIPMENT
A CONGENIAL AMBIENCE FOR A VICTORY
THE SITUATION CAST NO ASPERSION
CAST NO APPREHENSION
BUT CONFIDENCE, CONFIDENCE ALONE
OF THE HIGHEST ORDER, AMONG THE SAILORS.
SO MOVED THE SHIP READY TO DESTROY
ANYTHING THAT STOOD IN ITS WAY
WITH UTMOST FEROCITY
AND CALLOUS DISDAIN.
NO REASON FOR ANY DOUBT
NO REASON FOR EVEN AN IOTA OF ANY INKLING
OF THE CHANCES OF SOMETHING HIDDEN
MAYBE A FATAL PITFALL IN THE SHIP’S WAY
THE SHIP WAS MOVING CAREFULLY, FORWARD
UNAWARES, UNSUSPECTING
THE MEN COURAGEOUS, FEROCIOUS, ITCHING
TO DESTROY ANYTHING PERTAINING TO THE ENEMY.
BUT……………….
IT HAPPENED ALL OF A SUDDEN, A BOLT
IN THE LAP OF NORMALLY CALM ARABIAN SEA,
AN UNEXPECTED THUD LIKE EXPLOSION
A PERILOUS DETONATION.
IT WAS A TORPEDO HURTLED
FROM A HIDING SUBMARINE OF THE ENEMY
HIT AT THE HULL OF THE SHIP AFLOAT
CAUSING IT TO DROWN WITH ALL
CONFIDENT WERE ITS WELL TRAINED MEN.
IN THE PLACE OF PANIC
COURAGE WRIT LARGE ON THE SCENE
COURAGE, AMONG THE CREW.
THE HIT CAUSED
THE SHIP MOVING FORWARD
TO MOVE DOWNWARD
SLUGGISHLY
COURAGEOUS THE SAILORS WERE
TRAINED NOT TO PANIC, THE ONLY TECHNIQUE,
TO ESCAPE FROM THE FACE OF AN IMMINENT DANGER.
YES, AVOID PANIC, IS THEIR WATCH WORD OF ESCAPE.
EVERYTHING WAS IN ITS MILITARY ORDER
AND DISCIPLINE.
THE ORDER OF USUAL PROTOCOL
CHANGED INTO THE REVERSE.
THE SAFETY BOATS WERE LOWERED
AND THE MEN BOTTOM FIRST TO TOP
WERE TO BOARD THE BOATS
AS IS THE WON’T IN TIMES OF A SHIPWRECK.
IT WAS THE ORDER OF ESCAPE
FROM BOTTOM TO TOP
AND NOT FROM TOP TO BOTTOM
IN EMERGENCIES, THE MILITARY WAY
THE CIVILIAN WAY
OF MIGHT IS RIGHT ORDER
IN SUCH SITUATION WILL NOT WORK
FOR IT AGGRAVATES THE DEATH TOLL
THE MILITARY REVERSE PROTOCOL STIPULATES
THE CAPTAIN TO LEAVE THE SHIP LAST,
AFTER ENSURING THE ESCAPE OF THE REST
IN SUCH EMERGENCIES.
WHEN ALL ESCAPED, THE SHIP WAS ALMOST SUNK
AND THE CAPTAIN, CALM, STAYED BACK
EVEN AT THE FACE OF DEATH,
TO ENSURE EVERYONE’S ESCAPE.
BY THAT TIME THE CAPTAINS ESCAPE
TURNED AN IMPOSSIBLE AFFAIR,
AS THE RESCUE BOATS COULDN’T BE BACK
BEFORE THE SHIP SANK FULLY, SURE
KNOWING HIS DEATH WAS IMMINENT
THE CAPTAIN WAS WAVING AT HIS MEN
AS HE SANK TO THE ABYSMAL DEPTHS AND COURTED DEATH
A VALIANT SACRIFICE FOR HIS MOTHER COUNTRY
AND THE PEOPLE OF HIS COUNTRY
AND FOR ALL HIS MEN
THAT MADE HIM LIVE LONG
IN THE MINDS OF ALL