Revelation

Adrift
Calm paddling on open sea,
Burning sun scours my brain
With long, thirst-provoking heat.
Weary, thirsty,
So very tired:
Days too long,
Just me and the sun,
The waves
Low and broad.

Hours pass.
Clouds waft in from over the horizon:
White fluff,
Whisps of cotton candy
Drift over a declining noon.
The air cools,
My fever breaks,
And restlessness stirs.

Evening descends.
I am aware.
The sun sinks below the bar.
A star is rising,
Slow at first
From hidden, nether regions
To its zenith.
I regard it with growing unease,
Mounting panic
And then...
A blinding flash!
Overwhelming light,
Blaze of all colors floods my vision,
Bursts and dies.

What is this?
What sign?
Surely it must have meant something.
Ah!
It is clear now.
I sigh.

At last, all is sweetness and bells.