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