Savage Beauty, Down She Goes

Milky-eyed creatures clutch at straws,
Slip up in sludge, and fight like bears,
In desperation bolt their doors,
They say a prayer, make for the stairs,
And push their children down into
Compartments, to be safe from harm.
They panic, don't know what to do,
Make quiet noises of alarm,
And turn with ultimatum eyes
To their old friends, and draw their knives,
And run them through. They conjure lies
They hope will last them all their lives.
The mud is rising to their necks
As they grope for the ceiling vents
And try to reach the upper decks,
But all this effort's a pretense:
Their wild eyes can see they're done,
In freezing slush they're going to drown.
They see there's nowhere left to run
And struggle as the ship goes down.