Tending the Shrine

Many years ago
in a country of
bleached white houses
and a sapphire blue sea,
there lived a young
fisherman,
so strong he could
break the neck of an ox.
He was so handsome
everyone fell in love
with him.
Bad boys picked fights
for the joy of begging for mercy,
which he always gave.
Good girls wrote love letters
filled with shameless lust,
to which he always replied
sweetly.
 
He saved me once,
dragged me back to shore,
defended me from monsters,
and I became his servant for
life.
 
Then one day he himself was
swept away.
Taken by jealous gods
with a hungry hole to fill,
some said.
 
All I know is I keep
his house clean,
his seat warm,
and my eye always on the
horizon.