[via joyreactor]

[via bite.ca]

Riddle:

Shipwrecked we are, once a proud crew,
Evening finds us, stranded and few;
Victory was ours, but now has its cost,
Even so, we must count the lost.
Now we see, only several have survived,
To think our crew, at thirty arrived,
Everyone at rest, we must ask you,
Engage in the counting, how many are the few?
Now I have given the clue, it’s all up to you.

Hint:
Did I mention,
That you take attention,
To the word I say,
Concerning the survivors that day?

The answer is staring you in the face, but if don’t see it, you can get the answer below…

The answer:

If you did not click,
The head’s off at a flick,
Of my cutlass so sharp and keen,
If you did not see seventeen;
My words merely distracted you,
The answer lay in plain view,
In the form of the first letter of each line.
And to the ones with observant eyes,
I hope we will meet on the sea, beyond the skies.