shipwrecked

Shipwrecked

Sat on a raft in the Bay of Bengal, my ship had sunk
I was the only survivor. Had a carton of cigarettes,
But no matches; to pass the time I threw the ciggies,
One by one, into the sea, kept sharks away, thought
Of the poor Bengal tiger hunted to almost extinction.

Next day there was another raft slowly drifting near,
The man onboard, a lone survivor of a sunken ship,
Asked if I had cigarettes, because he had a lighter
But nothing to smoke; a screech flayed the skin of
The sea, luckily monsoon rain fell and eased the pain.