The Vince Paheem | Teen Ink

The Vince Paheem

November 17, 2010
By Erin Bresnahan BRONZE, Colfax, California
Erin Bresnahan BRONZE, Colfax, California
3 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Voyager, I am- my brothers and I make a team, the three sons of the man Vince Paheem
We stayed up late wondering, we stayed up late thinking
Is the sunset just another day gone by, or a sunrise in a virgin new world?
This puzzled me dearly; my heart showed contempt, for the ones who assumed we knew all
Maps and spinning globes, no uncharted land- just a strict graph with so many rules
My two brothers and I, we weren’t getting answers- they asked, “Is there anything else?”
Man desires knowledge, wonders were created to solve, so I escorted them out to the port.

And there was a figure, a beautiful ship, silhouetted against the dusk sky
Ropes hung from the mast, and the bow seemed to lift as if pulled by God from up high
A marionette; high strung and high hopes, our eyes opened wide and expectant
Judgment gone awry by the vast unknown, see this was a thought not to be questioned.

We set sail the next morn', waved farewell to dear friends, and the wind pushed the ship to the west
We had so embarked for the journey ahead, so our verdict just wasn't the best.

the three of us fell asleep for the night, to the rocking of the Vince Paheem.
Waves crashed up on her cherry red sides - they were polished, and simply pristine
We couldn't fathom what lay ahead, we really couldn’t see
The stillness of the ocean blue and what the calmness soon would be


I woke to a shake, a rattle, a roll
I woke to hear thunder and saw nothing but darkness- and the ship- she was out of control
I rushed to the deck to see my brothers-their eyes filmed over in fear
water then crashed through her cherry red sides- we all thought that death was near.

We jumped off the beautiful, Vince Paheem, and the waves crashed atop us they swallowed us sunk us
Then spit us out on a sandy red shore where we realized that this was no dream.

I got up and looked- to the south, to the north, the west and the east
But we saw there was nothing but barren sand, a rock at the very least.

The sun shone down harsh and our eyes squinted with pain
Our stomachs grew empty - it would drive us insane

The three of us stayed there for three days and three nights
Hoping for rescue- but reality bites.

Thirst made us so insane- and my brothers, dear brothers
made a foolish choice- a choice made only in vain
I told them "Don't go," I so tried to stop them
but they were naïve when I tried to condemn.

I sat in utter hopelessness, bitter, in the sand
As I watched them swim out to find the mainland.
It was miles away and the ocean was cruel
I watched as it beat them, as it won the duel.

I watched my dear brothers, the specks in the distance
As they screamed in distress and they yelled for assistance



I would have cried, if I wasn't so dehydrated
If the days hadn't left me so fatigued and deflated.

I fell asleep that night with my face buried in sand
A rage so deep no one could understand
All my hopes were erased
I dreamt of the torture I'd faced
From the sinking of the Vince Paheem.

A shrill horn is what woke me early the next day
I stood up in haste as a ship came into bay
"A rescue, I'm saved!" I cried, as I was carried onboard
But then my heart flooded with guilt- my brothers had no such reward

If only they'd waited, just for one more night
They would now be elated at this wonderful sight

If only I'd stopped them- I know they'd have made it
And today, now, they would be all right.



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