Banana Boat to Hell

i'm on a banana boat to Hell
and there's no way
of getting off of it.
i stand in the bow
and stare helplessly
at the bloody Congo.
its waters are boiling, steaming
and bubbling
like the interior
of a volcano
just before it erupts.
i can't swim in it.
i can't get away.
the boat's entire crew
consists of brawny Negro zombies
who silently ignore me
and carry on
with their pre-assigned duties on deck.
their faces are ashen and pinched
and dotted with oozy sores,
and they gape bug-eyed
into nothingness.
they have various weapons
stashed in their belts-
knives, guns and machetes.
(oh yes, they can use 'em!)
the Master
who controls the wills
of these zombies
is watching me constantly.
i can't see him
but i can feel
his burning eyes
boring deep
into my very soul.
if i make
even one move
toward any beckoning glimmer
of freedom,
a few word from his lips
to the zombies' minds
will relieve me
from further advancement.
i'm hungry.
down below
in the cavernous cargo hold
are hundreds upon hundreds
of crates full of bananas.
i haven't eaten anything
in a while
and if i wanted to
i could go down
and procure a few that are ripe
and eat heartily
while my hunger pains diminish.
but i can't do it.
right underneath the bow,
right underneath where i'm standing,
lurking behind the large crates
full of bananas
is the largest,
ugliest,
leggiest,
and furriest
damn tarantula
i ever did see.
i'm the only white meat
on this boat,
and it considers white meat
a rare delicacy.
if i go down there
it'll pounce on me
quicker than a cheetah.
it's waiting for me now.
just thinking about
it being right below me
sends cold shivers
up and down my spine.
God, i'm glad that this deck
can hold up my weight!
but there's no way off
of this banana boat
headed straight to Hell.
nope.
no way.



HELP ME SOMEBODY!!
FOR GOD'S SAKE,
SOMEBODY
HELP MEEEEEEEEEEE!!



DB/c1991,2015