Part Four of Black Forest Tales "Gerta the Ungrateful"
The fourth installment of Tales from the Black Forest.
There past the dark wood near the magic falls
live the nymphs of the water where the ivy crawls.
Upon the rocks dappled with moss sits the fair maid.
She comes in the evening only in nighttime's soft shade.
As a small child she wandered, too far she did stray.
She became lost in the forest and soon lost her way.
The nymphs did find her and raised her as their own.
For years she remained there, until she was grown.
Each day in the evening she would go to the pool
and cursed the nymphs, she thought them quite cruel.
She felt a constant pain though she did not know why.
All that she knew was she wanted to die.
Her tiny rescuers pleaded they tried to cajole
but the cancer invaded and ate at her soul.
One day the nymphs they all got together
trying to find a means to make Gerta's life better.
They decided to take her home, return her to town
so the nymphs led Gerta out shortly after sundown.
The villagers, who saw her, had not a kind word to say.
Many doors were slammed and she was told, "Go Away!"
At times you see her wandering there beaten and worn.
Her hair is always matted and her gown is all torn.
Often times she wishes and dreams of that other place
and her tears look like waterfalls trailing down her face.
Moral here is never to forget
sometimes sorrow is what you get
if you think things are better
it is best those feelings to fetter.
Contentment is a place inside
that's where happiness does abide