While I Pray, He Counts

Is it okay to be afraid? I whisper,
my words slipping out unintentionally
as lightning illuminates an angry sky
and thunder explodes like circling cannons. 
 
Sails down, we huddle in the companionway,
knowing the mast on our sailboat 
is a conduit for the electrical fury raging 
above Lake Michigan. This unforeseen
 
wall of weather on the water 
is inching closer, winds building 
off the stern, swells rocking the boat 
and challenging the autopilot for control.
 
A pounding rain reverberates 
off the fiberglass and a misty fog 
swallows the shoreline. 
One lightning strike could 
 
destroy navigating instruments,
punch pinholes through the hull, 
explode the mast, electrocute one 
or both of us. Miles from harbor, 
 
there is nowhere to go.
 
His eyes are gentle as he answers my question.
Only two seconds between the last flash 
and the trailing thunder. 
The strike was a half mile away.