Carved upon a glassy surface until it shown brighter than the sun in may
totally bewitched by grief day upon endless day
all the towns people had thought him mad year after endless year
since his lady love had died and he shed not a single tear
childhood sweethearts people whispered when relaying the sad tale
he always thought he was responsible
many thought he should be locked up in an asylum or jail
the children called him the mad wood carver laughed and teased him day and night
but really all anybody in the tiny town wanted was to see the forbidden sight
day upon day and year after year he sat in his workshop alone
silently carving the cherry wood till he'd worked his fingers to the bone
why he dwelt upon one block of wood he would never let anyone see
why he seemed in quiet agony as he cut the wood from her cherry tree
and then one day all was still within the wood carvers shop
the old man lay down at the foot of the cherry tree allowing a single tear to drop
the towns people came to see
why the old mans carving had stopped and when they arrived upon the cobble stones
all of their gossip and slander had ended
for what they saw carved upon the wood was so angelically splendid
upon it so lovingly placed was the face of his lost love Sadie
Whom had died so many years past for now the man was nigh eighty
it was on her 18th birthday
some 60 years ago that day
she was carrying his child they had been married 6 weeks that May
he had worked so terribly hard to finish her gift in time
with so much love and tenderness he put in his sweat and grime on the cradle that would be for their first child he dusted off the wood chips and admired the almost finished gift with a smile
needing her to be away to put on the finishing touches she went down to the lake alone to collect some fresh bulrushes
it was already far too late by the time he heard her screams he couldn't believe his eyes it was like a terrible dream
a pack of wolves retreated from the bank where she had stood
a trail of blood led to the water
her delicate figure floating her struggles no good
he pulled her from the water just in time to hear her say
I love you my darling as her last breath slipped away her blue eyes fluttered closed for the very last time he was so heartsick he couldn't even cry
his dreams haunted him by night the vision of her loveliness by day from her beautiful lifeless face the man couldn't get away
every time he would begin again the portrait didn't seem right
for his anguish always entered into the gleam of his Lady's eye
on the eve of her birthday some 60 years gone by he finished Sadie's portrait and couldn't help himself but cry he lay his head upon the cherry tree she had planted so long ago and with the vision of her before him let those few words go I love you my darling
was the last thing they heard him say and all agree he died from heartbreak to this very day
