Author's Note: This is based on Echoes of home, two tiers below.
Amidst a war that's raging on the crest,
He's rudderless and staggering to breathe.
Two tiers below, the buoy that floats him best
Is what prevents his sinking underneath.
A wildcard then materializes — red
And sudden as the flashing of his eyes.
From stranded sailor wishing to be dead,
He soon becomes the storm, the Antichrist.
His pendulum is swinging side to side:
One faction echoes home and all that's warm;
The other is a roller coaster ride
That thrills just as it teases fatal harm.
The time is running out to make his pick
Between the healthy carrot, sharpened stick.