The Sea Serpent

Some people say a serpent is an elongated snake, Found frequently in river streams, the ocean or a lake. But none cavorted round Cape Ann, her townships to bestir, Until the nineteenth century, the mariners aver. Way back in eighteen seventeen, one lovely August day, A mister Allen Solomon regarded with dismay, A most peculiar looking fish emerge above the sea, And shake its rattlesnake-shaped head, with rare facility. So huge a fish he'd never met in waters anywhere, And hurried home to spread the news on every thoroughfare; Around Cape Ann, the story flew, how Solomon had seen In sight of Gloucester's friendly shore, a creature submarine. "What can it be? What can it be?" the older natives said. "A dinosauria come to life from out his ocean bed?" "Or possibly a mermaid's son or ancient Arctic whale?" "The thought strikes terror to my soul and turns me deathly pale." They pondered long and earnestly throughout the countryside, And morning, noon and night discussed this serpent, far and wide. Some women could now swallow whole a fish of such dimension, And so, when Amos Story next, acknowledged his intention, Of contemplating troubled seas to well investigate The truth of Solomon's romance, none did expostulate. So Amos sailed and disbelieving, scrutinized the spot, Where Sol observed his monster fish and aimed his fruitless shot. He scanned the sea, then gasped aloud: "Good Lord, it cannot be!" For unexpectedly there rose a creature from the sea, Who raised its head indifferently and idly looked about For ninety minutes by the clock, and Amos was worn out. "I'll get you yet!" he cried, and aimed directly at its head, Anticipating eagerly, to find his target dead. Alas! poor Amos missed his mark, so hastened to the shore, To entertain his fellow men with legends by the score, About his daring enterprise (the serpent's giant size); His "turtle" head, which ogled him in evident surprise; Till Gloucester was electrified to apprehend this thing Before the summer season closed and visitors took wing. So Matthew Gaffney sallied forth to circumvent the foe, And swore its head was dark on top and snowy white below, Shaped like a keg of generous size, with body big around As any husky barrel of ale that Matthew G. had found. He likewise took a careless shot with doubtful luck again, Before relinquishing his chase to more ambitious men, Like Captain Rich who journeyed north, to Gloucester just to see What oddity could overturn that whole community. It happened that their serpent friend had gone to Squam that day, And last was noticed at the Bar, not many miles away; He followed and distinctly swore he'd hit the envied mark, Which none could contradict because he'd fired after dark. Undoubtedly, you cannot keep a good man silent long, And Captain West, from southern Maine, thought something must be wrong, For he'd espied him off the Cape, in conflict with a whale, And loud and clear rang out the blows made by the serpent's tail. The creature, formerly serene, was filled with indignation, Unless this was a fishes' way of frivolous flirtation. At any rate he swam around the neighborhood for days, And furnished entertainment thereabouts in divers ways. He combed our stern and rockbound coast as far as Portland, Maine, Then wandered back to Ten Pound Isle and Annisquam again, And touched Rye Beach and Portsmouth next, then down to Half Way Rock Near Salem, but returned for church on Sunday, by the clock. Eventually, most citizens of Gloucester thought they'd seen The serpent or some specimen of animate marine; His length maybe was ten feet two, or ten times ten at least, The longest fish extant, they claimed, no doubt, in all the east. Soon everyone was all agog about this great invasion, And to elaborate their yarns, none needed much persuasion. So rapidly these fish tales grew, of slippery water demons, That some raconteurs were accused of deep delirium tremens. For years they dwelt upon the time when that elusory fish Had summered on the Gloucester shore and made the natives wish For colorful adventure of the most fantastic kind, To stir imagination's bones and cultivate its mind. And even now, occasionally, the zealous tell us how They saw an elephantine fish resembling horse or cow, And stretching without hindrance, from Squam to Bearskin Neck, 'Twas utterly impossible, their fancy's rein to check. In recent years on Gloucester shores, no serpents have been spied, But some adventurers expect some superhuman tide Will sweep one in and suddenly create a wild sensation, To stimulate our lethargy to violent agitation.