Take Me!

She wandered down to the rocky beach

On the first Monday in June,

She wore a shawl, and carried a wreath

And sat for the afternoon,

She’d wait til the sun was sinking low

And shadows moved in the caves,

Then stride out into the rising tide

And cast her wreath on the waves.

 

She didn’t flinch if the waves were high

Or the storm clouds brought her rain,

She gazed out past the horizon while

Her face was creased with pain,

When lightning flickered across the sky

She knew that the gods could see,

And wrung her hands with a terrible cry,

‘Will none of you pity me?’

 

‘Take me,’ she cried at the rising tide,

‘Take me,’ she groaned at the sky,

‘You’ve taken the only thing I loved

And not even told me why!’

She threw herself at the foam-fleck’d waves

Where the swell would rise and breach,

But ever the tide in its forward ride

Would cast her back on the beach.

 

She sheltered then in the echoing caves

That dotted the cliff face shore,

And tears had streamed from a source of grace

The gods had preserved once more,

She heard the echoes as waters lapped,

Or thundered in at the cave,

A voice that ever had held her rapt,

‘Be brave, my love, be brave!’

 

She shut her eyes and she reached on out

For the source of the voice’s charms,

And moaned for a distant memory

That had held her once in his arms,

But the sea was keeping his secrets now,

She could only guess, and pine,

She couldn’t know that he lay below

Near the coast of Palestine.

 

A stranger came on the woman there,

One of the gypsy folk,

Just as the lightning flickered once

And he wrapped her in his cloak.

He took her up to the top of the cliff

Where the unknown future lies,

As she turned aside to wave goodbye

There was lovelight in his eyes.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Renée]

Oh..I do hope she saw that light in his eyes ! Wonderful tale, Mr. Paget.

[Claire in VA]

Fantastic. I actually sensed what was happening.
I saw, heard, felt, smelled, and even tasted it.
I know that sounds crazy, but I really did
because of your expert skills.
Claire

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this is beautiful, but so sad. And yet love does come again, maybe in a different form, but given the chance, we can love again.

i like how the man at the end revived her with his love.

[Ravyne Hawke]

Such sadness of a lost loved one.. a beautiful tale, David. I enjoyed this one very much.

[Lena M. P.]

Great imagery shared within this tale. I could hear her pain as she lashed out at the gods for forsaking her. It was a touch of genius to throw in the man that would save her with his love.

[Baby Ricochet]

Good story Mr Paget. I got a charge out of it

[BlackRose]

You're a master of your writes. FAB piece somehow of darkness but with love peering through. On a sea going, taking it's course.

[TPK Stories]

I love the imagery here...great story.

[Avinash]

Life and sea share an unknown bond. We all came from there and may be it has answers for all our questions if we could hear it back.
You took us there effortlessly and in her pain we all were there with her. That is what writing is all about.

[Brittany Zedalis]

The imagery in this is superb. Truly wonderful writing. You've got amazing talent!