by BobA. Troutt
*****
Dead Limbs and Leaves
The Lost Fisherman
Gracefully, the tender rose petals, plucked from a fail hand drifted down into the salty sea. Down, down they twirled disappearing below. Boom! Crash! roared the mighty waves as they violently beat against the rugged rocks. Oh, such anger force the sea can be. From the haunting cries of the deep, come the screams of the waves, of lost loves so true. High between the peaks of rock swings a bridge. There on the bridge, stood the beautiful maiden, named Katherine, holding a rose. As tears filled her eyes she longed for her lover lost at sea. Day after day she came. She cried and looked for her love, but he was nowhere to be found. She was with child, the joy of his love and hers combined. “Sweet, Sweet Katherine my love.” She grieved heavily for months, wearing a path to and fro to the bridge. At night, she cried herself to sleep, wishing, hoping, that tomorrow would bring her peace. "Sweet, Sweet, Katherine, if you only knew." They say time heals all wounds. Sometime it may, but this time it won’t. Boom! Crash! roared the waves, as the angry sea beat against the rocks below. Quietly, she stood on the bridge above, longing for her lover still grieving in her heart. Then suddenly, out of nowhere a giant wave crashed across the bridge, driving her to her knees. In rage and anger she rose, grasped the rope and hung on as another wave forced her back. "You way have taken my lover," she cried, "but you'll never take my child and me." As the heavy salt water dripped from her body she cried, "You'll never beat me." Day after day passed as the hurt and pain grew, settling within her heart. Not a day went by that she didn’t come to the sea and search for her lost lover, so true. But, the more she came, the harder her heart filled with the loss of her love, the father of her child. As she held on to her belly, she cried, "I hate you," she screamed her lover's name. Who was lost in the belly of the sea. Then she rose quickly and shouted, "I hate you LORD." Suddenly, she stopped. "What is it?" she asked. Then she carefully felt of her belly as the baby kicked. She fell down onto the bridge, she held her belly tight. The sea crashed against her, she looked up. Then she began to cry even more. She rose up fist drawn, and shouted, "Damn you sea." In the days that followed, she became more depressed. Her heart longed no more, her tears were dried up. She knew her lover would never be back, and there was only one thing left. She held her baby tight. There was one way and that was to give herself and the baby to the sea. High above, standing on the bridge with the wind driving the waves stood Katherine holding tight to her belly, as the chilling wind blew through her hair. "Damn you sea," she uttered the words. "Take me, and let us live with my lover in the belly of the sea." Arise, arise I say, tarry not, for I give myself to thee. "I love you," she shouted her lovers name and "I love you LORD I pray it's not too late.” Then with a mighty roar, a giant wall of water crashed the bridge to the ocean floor. When the water finally stilled, Katherine the beautiful maiden, was nowhere to be found. "Sweet, Sweet, Sweet, Katherine. "There's only this haunting tale about Katherine that still lives today. I know, for I was her lover that was lost at sea. I am alive. I made it, and I had found another. MY SWEET, SWEET, KATHERINE, I WISH I COULD HAVE TOLD YOU SOME WAY OF MY SWEET SWEET RACHEL just down the way......