​Chilling Night

​The rain turned to hail
A cold wet windy night
Street lights dimly lit
The narrow street

My umbrella long ago
Turned inside out
The road was empty
I ducked into a doorway

Hello stranger
A voice from the dark
A man in a hat and a coat
Was already sheltering

Miserable night I replied
This umbrella is useless
I threw it down
In disgust

Reminds me of Cape Horn
Back in '75 we nearly sunk
Sails ripped men overboard
I thought I was a goner

You a sailor
All my life
You've seen plenty of
Wind and rain then

Once we took on Captain Dorn
A storm blew up
Just as we were boarding
Smashed both ships

We went down fast
Captain stood tall at the wheel
No one survived
Not even the cat

This guy scared me
I started to move away
Take care young fella
Cross the road as you go

Stepping on the road
I looked back
A light hit his face
I went white

A skeleton wearing a sailor hat
Had been my companion
I started running
What was happening

Near the end of the block
Lightning exploded across the street
Where I would have been
If I wasn't warned

I looked back
He was gone
Did the conversation
Really happen