7 December 2012
For Katie by Paul Ferlitsch
For Katie by Paul Ferlitsch (22)
On the ocean, on the high seas
Were the captain and his crew
Sailing eastwards, months at sea now.
Sought a beauty fine and true
Through the waters, naked lovely
Swam the girl who was the prize.
‘O to catch her! Ageless treasure!’
Said the sailors between sighs
And then at long last, and with a net cast
That water nymph was brought on board.
As he chained the pretty haul
The captain shouted rum for all
Straight below deck, bundled under
To the specially designed cage.
Went she freely, and with smiles
For what is jail without age?
But from that first day, from the onset
The ship saw problems grow most grave;
The sailors maddened, captain sightless.
Vessel crushed beneath a wave
The cage bars rusted from the salt
The sailors’ skeletons did not mind
Out she swam away without a worry
O my darling, dreadful sorry.
***
In a café, by a market
Sits the same girl, finely dressed
Besieged by standard would-be suitors
She is clearly unimpressed.
Spurns she one man, too persistent
Says to hell, his affections, send.
He walks out and jumps in traffic
“Fare thee well…” and meets his end
Then another, and a third
So many as to be absurd.
But such constancy in decline!
I resolved to make that darling mine.
Went we places, different beaches
And whispered lovely things and more
And robbed a bank! The cashiers bound
Blew the safe and out the door.
Until one day, awful Sunday
She resolved to swim the sea
And Lord knows I am no swimmer!
Therefore she was lost to me.
How I missed her! How I missed her!
Would that I could swim through time.
O my darling, dreadful sorry
Would that I had kept you mine.
***
In the paper, five months later
Read a story from the horn.
Innocents freed and villains vanquished
She the picture, could have sworn
Went to Algiers, joined the legion
Gave my word to fight for France
Volunteered against those pirates
Gave it thought and took the chance.
Marched we at them, my battalion
Paid to stop the Bandit King.
‘Onward!’ to cheering men I said
‘We’ve been tasked to take his head!’
And all that time I, although searching,
Never found the girl I sought.
Until one day in a canyon;
The pirates trapped, the battle fought.
We were many, and far stronger
Yet one by one my men did die!
But the culprit was apparent;
A wrathful beauty fighting nigh.
Cartridge necklace, coloured sabre
In terms of heads she made it rain!
Dropped my rife, when I saw her
Knew I’d not need it again.
Final meeting of our eyes,
As she split me at the waist
O my darling, dreadful sorry!
Would that we could have embraced.