Ignes Fatui of the neurotic mind

Rocking in my vessel sturdy
Upon the waters of a swamp so dirty,
I am in the crow’s nest
En route to my impending test.

Ever since I was young,
I have been given to the far-flung:
Quiet panic of a possible foe,
Wishes to never disturb another’s flow.

In the confines of the nest,
I am inclined to take a rest.
However, on an eve such as this,
I espy something, something amiss.

Flicker, flicker . . .

Flicker, flicker . . .

I have often heard the tales
Of the mariners phlegmatic:
Be cautious of the White Whales
But more so of objects static!

I stared again—from my place—
And, again, I glimpsed there apace
A vague fire burning in the air.
Could it be aware?

Flicker, flicker . . .

Is it real? A chance of true danger?
Do I cause myself more harm
Trying to envisage the idle stranger?
Drawing nearer, I am given to alarm.

My heart’s pace hastens, so
Too do my lungs grow tight.
My vision narrows
As my mind is set a-flight.

What is it?
What could it be?
Some unlikely possibility?

Now, I succumb to the anxiety!

Flicker, flicker . . .
Flicker, flicker . . .

What is he thinking?

And what about her?

Have I accidentally ruined my chances?

What if I am wrong? Will they think less of me?

Is past prologue? How can I be sure? Luck’s always there . . .

Still an enigma it remains
As I rip at the hairs of my brow
Trying to calculate the gains
And what I should now.

Flickering, flickering,
The light is so sickening.
As its vicinage I approach,
I realize there’s naught to encroach.

I settle into my post,
Exhausted from what had transpired.
My eyes and mind are now primed
For the next eerie fire.