Atop stood a maiden with eyes like the sea
Her long, black hair flowing in the breeze
Standing there with her spirit so free
Every day she kissed the sky, every moment she seized
Yet she was chained by a promise made
To a soldier on the far side of the Earth
She promised to wait and there she stayed
He promised to show up outside a hearse
So everyday she waited, shining the light
For him to know that she stayed in place
Till her skin darkened from the sun so bright
And the salt slowly crinkled her face
Till one day a ship sailed in, damaged and battle-worn
On a gloomy evening with an even sadder mast
With men walking out completely battered and torn
To wives and children, looking at scars, aghast
When a lone man walked out, a gleam in his eye
His mouldy peg-leg just barely standing
What’s left of his right arm, now covered in blood, dry
Yet his steely determination remains commanding
As the first drops fell, he made his way
To the basalt on which the lighthouse stood
The torch soon lit up the unending gray
He climbed up as fast as his peg-leg could
Atop stood his maiden, as fair she once was
A sight his sore eyes eagerly yearned
She fell into his arms, without second’s pause
An embrace he had truly earned
Soon, thunder roared and lightning slashed
The rain now battering, in rhythm intoned
The waves rejoicing violently crashed
All while the lighthouse continued to groan
With the celebration at a high, below and above
The lovers still holding each other as before
The lighthouse breathed its last, under the weight of their love
Into the ocean’s jaws they fell, together forevermore
~Samhruth A(21BCE1791)
