In the Island Town of Amity by Edward D. Collins August 2024 In the island town of Amity Where summer sun shines so bright by the sea A shadow lurks beneath the waves An unseen predator that nobody craves A shark, a monster of the deep Stalks the waters where secrets do sleep With a mouth "this big" and eyes like a doll We hear the music - we feel the call A girl in the moonlight swims in the nude Unaware of the danger that views her as food The silver waves whisper secrets untold As shadows emerge from the depths dark and cold The music swells and tension ignites A symphony of dread on that hot summer night Each splash in the water sends chills down the spine This is not human malice - it’s nature’s design With splashes and screams, Chrissie's fate is now known As shadows converge, she feels all alone The moon casts a glow on her shimmering skin Darkness around her - the nightmare begins In a heartbeat it strikes - a flash and a roar! The waves churn violently as she fights for the shore! Yet nature’s cruel balance can seldom be swayed In this dance of survival, it’s life that must fade Chief Brody stands with furrowed brow “Close the beaches,” he cries. "Close them now!" But Mayor Vaughn, with greed in his heart Fears the loss of tourists will tear them apart Mr. Vaughn stood firm on that sandy beach And turned to give us a quick little speech “Tourism thrives,” he proclaimed with a grin "Summer dollars are needed and everyone wins." “Close the beaches!” Brody said again with a frown But Larry dismissed him, “It’ll ruin our town!" "We need their dollars. We need their dough!" "They'll all be safe - it's just barracudas below." And amidst this chaos and terror untold There’s Polly in the office - her story unfolds With ink-stained fingers and papers galore She prints out warnings one should not ignore “The beaches are closed!” she printed by hand As Hendricks posted them into the sand There diligence shines like a beacon of light In a world overshadowed by fear and by fright The best summer they had, that Fourth of July The tourists appeared in abundant supply But a fin soon appeared! A scream and a splash! And in less than an instant dreams were now slashed Amongst the young voices that echoed with glee Was a boy named Alex and his raft by the sea With dreams of adventure and permission from mom He laid on his raft on the ocean so calm Yet fate can be cruel - it twists like a knife As jaws opened wide to claim innocent life Pipit also went missing that day ("No, that's him on the dock!" others will say) The cries of a mother pierced through the air As she searched for her son with hope and a prayer Innocent laughter could no longer be heard Silenced by thoughts of what had occurred Quint now appears, with grit and with scars A hunter of monsters beneath shooting stars With tales of the sea that chill to the bone He offers his services - his skills too well known “Ten thousand dollars,” he boldly declares "To get rid of this beast - that price is quite fair!" "I'll catch that bird for ya," he started to sing "The head - the tail, the whole damn thing." A great white shark, an eating machine With a mouth "this big" only believed if it's seen Yet amidst all the chaos, a voice rings out Enter Matt Hooper, shark expert with clout No boat accident - this was nature’s decree! A reminder of power in waters so free From Amity’s shores to the depths of despair It must be a force beyond all compare With dorsal fin slicing through waves like a knife It brings forth a fear that disrupts all life Not Jack the Ripper, with his sinister schemes But nature’s own predator shattering dreams A shark was soon caught and hung up by its tail! Hooper said it's a tiger - the town will prevail! Nothing but smiles from Brody and Vaughn! Their problems are over - their worries all gone! But Hooper knew something that no one else did This wasn't the shark that killed that poor kid This wasn't the shark that killed that poor girl "Bite radius crap" began to unfurl And now our hero Brody, the Chief of Police Had Hooper cut Tiger, to give him some peace But how do you fight what you cannot see? How to find such a beast in a limitless sea? With his boat he paid for - he had money to blow Hooper studies his cameras to see what's below A wetsuit he wore, he climbs over the side And finds a shark tooth, where dangers abide Vaughn wouldn't listen. Didn't care for the truth. "Did you see it Brody? Did you see this tooth?" "Those beaches remain open. That much is clear." "But you keep them safe. Keep them safe, do you hear?" But death struck again - scared all of those kids And Vaughn signed the form - heaven forbid Chief Brody stands firm, with resolve in his heart Determined to play his most critical part Brody knew he must help with this fight It was HIS town - it was HIS plight! So with Hooper’s shark cage and Quint’s money from Vaughn The three of them set out the next morning at dawn “Fast fish,” Hooper muses with a knowing grin As he charts the depths where the hunt begins Brody chumming below - Hooper driving the boat Quint's Orca could be seen on the ocean afloat With engines a-roaring and courage in tow They venture to find what lies deep below But as they draw closer, the tension does swell For this is no fish - it’s a beast from hell! The waves crash around them - the sky turns to gray! And suddenly there’s chaos - oh what a fray! With a mouth so big it could swallow ya whole! Shakin'...  tenderizin'... down ya go! “Need a bigger boat,” Brody says with a scare As they grapple with fate and confront their despair For with every barrel that danced on the waves Lies the truth of their struggle against what enslaves Quint sits in the cabin, his eyes filled with dread Recalling the horrors of sailors long dead “Eleven hundred men went into the water.” He speaks of their fate - he speaks of the slaughter Japanese torpedoes slammed into our side He spoke of the horrors, of his friends who had died From the wreckage of war, his nightmares arose As he faced the monster where danger flows As night fell upon them, with stars shining bright They gathered together to share in their plight With bottles of whiskey and laughter to spare They sang songs of the sea and breathed in the air “Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies” Quint’s voice rang out like a call from the ages Hooper joined in with nothing but grace And Brody joined too, a smile seen on his face In that moment of music their fears slipped away Three souls forged in friendship amidst disarray For beneath all the bravado and tales of old strife Was a bond born of courage - the essence of life As they sailed on the waters where darkness would creep They found strength in each other - not alone in their leap Through verses and laughter, they faced what would come The white shark lurking - lured in from the chum When their task looked grim, when all looked lost Quint asked Hooper about the cage he had brought "I think I can kill him," Hooper said to his friends "If I can get close enough, all our worries will end." They lowered his cage - Quint was not yet convinced You could tell by his face - you could tell by his wince The beast then confirmed what Quint already knew That cage was a joke, a monkey cage view The shark tore the cage into pieces with ease But Hooper escaped and swam down in the seas When fear grips your heart and shadows draw near It’s camaraderie’s light that can conquer all fear In the battle above Quint fought with despair Yet in those dark waters, he had better beware With screams echoing loud and his hand slipping away Quint met his fate in a gruesome display In silence he vanished beneath ocean’s might A hero consumed by the depths of the night So remember, dear friends, when you hear ocean’s call Even the bravest can stumble and fall Again it attacked, the boat will now sink Brody cannot prevent falling into the drink But like a Hollywood ending, with one careful shot Brody blew up the beast with the tanks Hooper brought And yet fear remains, with every sea wave A reminder of all of the lives it gave It’s more than a story, it’s more than a theme A nightmare from the ocean? A filmmaker's dream! And as they swam home, as they swam with the tide They remembered those lost - they remembered who died In laughter and sorrow, through thick and through thin "Amity means friendship." Together, we win.