O Traveler, your weary bones do ache                     
Tonight, stay; be a friend, not a foe 
by morning, restlessness you shall slake

O Traveler, I once knew a man  
who sank low in the treacherous sea  
A year passed and he was all but forgotten
‘til one night he sat next to me

O Traveler, I cursed and blamed my ale
What else could summon this apparition
drawing out from within me a pitiful wail?  

O Traveler, I knew it was not he
Some ungodly beast had claimed his form
and yet, it was met with glee

O Traveler, how the townspeople danced
gay for the return of a fraud!  
I could not escape it, even in slumber
when I saw it hungry and sharp-jawed

O Traveler, the creature was clever and sly
and played its human role well
Though my mind the vile monster did rape
others were victims to its spell

O Traveler, it was time to end the deception
One evening, I returned to the tavern
seeking that of which I couldn’t sway public perception

O Traveler, I called it and we went outside
under the guise of a private conversation
But once we were alone, I reached into my coat
drew my knife and destroyed my vexation

O Traveler, I dragged it to the ocean’s edge
And to the body, tied a stone with twine
Into the sea the beast’s body went
forevermore soaked in brine