Amputated Enigma

A silent forty-two years
Nestled in the heart of Nova Scotia
Marooned in Digby's Sandy Cove
A legless man was found unconscious on the shore
When he later awoke in the home of a local fisherman
He obsessively muttered the same three words over and over again

The first was Jerome
He repeated it so much so that it was decided it must be his name
Colombo was the second
Perhaps the name of the ship that abandoned him
The mutiny he attempted to lead left him stranded

Cast off into the vast unknown
After a ruthless Captain inflicted his harsh naval judgment
By hacking off both of his legs just above the knee

The final word was Trieste
Was this the land that he dreamed of
As he screamed and moaned throughout his nights
Conceivably it was visions of loved ones severed and distorted
That motivated him to remain mute

Apart from these three words the man was soundless
He moved slowly during his enduring years
By scuffling forward on his hands and stumps

Canada's first melancholic welfare recipient
Died on April 12th 1912

Broken fragments of his past have emerged
But the truth was never unveiled
A stone marker is all that's left now
As a memory of this nation's amputated enigma