There once was a fisherman, courageous and strong,
He had fished all his life, yet something was wrong,
All day, on the sea, his ship tossed and moaned,
But this courageous, strong fisherman felt very alone.

Each day he awoke, while the sky was still black,
With the wind in his hair, and his nets on his back,
And he walked to the seaside with the moon up above,
Yet, deep down inside, all he wanted was love.

But, one fateful day, with the sun sinking low,
The fisherman came in from the water’s strong flow,
And as he looked up, he saw a stunning young miss,
With two sparkling brown eyes gazing back into his.

“Young miss, may I help you?” his strong, deep voice said.
“My family’s betrayed me, and so I have fled,
I’m scared and alone,” the young woman replied,
“Please help me, dear fisherman, if you would be so kind.”

The fisherman stood quiet for a moment or two,
And stared into her eyes and thought of what he should do,
His heart beat fast as tears rolled down her cheeks,
He didn’t know why, but she made him feel weak.

“Miss,” said the fisherman, with a kind, tender tone,
“I know how it feels to be left all alone,
But I know how to help, I have a place you can stay,
And I promise to visit you, if just once every day.”

With a smile, the lovely young lady replied,
“Thank you, kind sir,” as she tried not to cry,
With her lips to his cheek, she gave a merit of thanks,
And they continued to walk along the great water’s banks.

By the sea, the young lady worked hard to live,
And the fisherman gave everything he could give,
To help her get along, and to just see her smile,
A strong love growing in his big heart, all the while.

Each day as she worked, the young lady looked out,
And searched for the fisherman to come about,
Each day he was faithful, and came just for her,
She soon fell in love; of that she was sure.

And one summer’s night, as the moon climbed in the sky,
The fisherman sat, with the girl at his side,
As he took her soft hands and looked into her eyes,
He said, “My dear woman, will you please be my bride?”

The two were quite happy, it was easy to see,
Yet the young woman had fear (such an awful disease),
“I don’t like you to leave me,” she said with a frown,
“What if your boat tips; what if you should drown?”

“The water is fierce,” she said with a sigh,
“It gives a million ways for one die.”
“My beautiful girl,” the fisherman laughed,
“I know what I’m doing; soon I’ll come back.”

“I never will leave you, that you must know,
I promise to come back each time that I go,
I know that you need me, and I need you, too,
I don’t fear the ocean; I fear leaving you.”
“Each night I will hold you, I promise you this,
Each morning I’ll wake you with a soft, loving kiss,
Should anything happen to me on the sea,
I will make it home; I will never leave.”

And the fisherman left; his young bride was alone,
Each night she’d wait up for him to get home,
With the fear in her mind that she’d sleep all alone,
Should her dear man be taken by the water’s strong foam.

Yet, day after day, just as he had said,
The fisherman came home; the girl asleep in their bed,
He took her in his arms, and with one simple kiss,
Said, “Each night I will be here: I promise you this.”

Days passed, and weeks passed; months followed, then years,
And slowly the young woman gave up her fears,
The fisherman left and came home day every day,
And they soon had a little one fast on the way.

Before the sun rose, the fisherman awoke,
But before he left, he heard his wife as she spoke,
“The stars aren’t shining, the moon is nowhere in sight,
Clouds cover the sky; what if you don’t come home tonight?”

The fisherman paused and replied,
“My lovely girl, have I ever lied?
Through storms or wind or rain or snow,
I will always, always come home.”

“The sun is rising now, and the sky is turning red,
There’s a new child inside me, and a new voice in my head,
You always have come home for me; I know that much is true,
But please remember: now there are two people waiting here for you.”
The fisherman looked out to the bleeding, red sky,
The air was too still; the birds didn’t fly,
Thunder rolled in the distance, the sky was anything but clear,
And for the first time in a long time, the brave fisherman felt fear.

He took a deep breath, and looked back to his wife,
And thought about what was forming inside her; a new life,
He took her hand and said, “I tell you: I know,
I will see you tonight when I come home.”

With a sweet “I love you” and a goodbye kiss,
The brave, strong fisherman left his young miss,
And the child inside her, and the home they had made,
And as he hoped he’d come home; he looked to the sky and prayed.

As the thunder was rumbling and the lightning flashed,
The young lady looked out at the waves as they crashed,
The evening was fading and night was soon on its way,
And the young woman begged God, “Please let him come home today.”
She gazed out her window as the rain pounded down,
Tears formed in her eyes as she heard the wind howl,
She rubbed her stomach; not a boat in sight,
And said to her child, “He won’t come home tonight.”

As she got into bed, she held back her tears,
And tried to get rid of all her thoughts and her fears,
She shut her eyes and spoke these words to the night,
“He promised me he would be here to hold me tight.”

She looked down to where her child was growing inside,
And she felt very alone; and began to cry,
“My dear man has left me, like everyone else,
And now I must raise this child myself.”

The waves crashed around him; he tried to stay afloat,
The fisherman tried to get control of his boat,
The thunder boomed and the wind blew and blew,
And he spoke to his wife, “I will be there for you.”

He grabbed his oars tight and gripped onto the wood,
And paddled for shore as fast as could,
The water tried to push him down as the lightning flashed too bright,
But he yelled to the sky as loud as he could, “I must get home tonight!”

As the wind grew louder, and the rain more severe,
The fisherman whispered, “God, don’t let me die here,
Two people wait for me tonight; two people need me home,
Please get me out of this storm tonight; this water’s deadly foam.”

And at that moment, out of breath, the fisherman looked around,
He didn’t know where he was at, the storm was the only sound,
The waves grew stronger, and he screamed with fear, “Lord, please be with me!”
And before he knew it; he fell from his boat and hit the angry sea.

The fisherman’s wife lay quiet in bed; hot tears on her skin,
The storm was raging on outside; though it was peaceful in,
She took a deep breath and tried to sleep; but the child inside her turned,
“My child,” she spoke, “be still tonight; there is no need to be perturbed.”

She put her hands right on her womb; right where the child lay,
And spoke, and said, “I know he promised he would be home every day,
But the sea was his first love before he promised to hold me tight,
That raging water crashed hard in the storm and it took him back tonight.”

Again, the child moved and turned, and the woman simply said,
“God has left us alone tonight; you’re brave, strong father is dead.”
And at that moment, through the silence, she heard a creaking sound,
And she sat up, her heart racing fast, and, in the dark, looked all around.
“Who’s there?” she exclaimed, in a loud, fearful tone,
And a familiar voice said, “Why would I leave you alone?”
The young lady stood up and there she saw her man,
Sopping wet from the storm; blisters burned on his hands.

She stared in disbelief and said, “I thought you were dead,”
He stepped towards her; his hair dripped, his wounds bled,
“The storm was relentless, I could have given in,
But I thought of you and our child, and that storm could not win.”

“The water was fierce, the wind was strong,
But I wanted to be with you, so I rowed along,
My boat was destroyed, I was left there to die,
But, by the grace of God, I survived.”

“I was lost and alone; I tried to swim to land,
God watched over me; I was led by His hand,
I swam and pushed on; I had to see you,
For my wife and my child, I did all I could do.”

His wife gazed into his kind blue eyes,
And without a word she began to cry,
He held her tight and whispered in her ear,
“I promised you: every night I’d be here.”

The fisherman stepped back and slowly kissed his wife,
And she said, “You know I will love you all of my life,
But never again will I doubt your promise to come home every night.”
And the fisherman replied with a loving, sweet smile as he held her tight…

“I never will leave you, that you must know,
I promise to come back each time that I go,
I know that you need me, and I need you, too,
I don’t fear the ocean; I fear leaving you.”
“Each night I will hold you, I promise you this,
Each morning I’ll wake you with a soft, loving kiss,
Should anything happen to me on the sea,
I will make it home; I will never leave.”