The barge that rocked your boat

You were sailing in calm waters -
and helping passengers up and down...
you thought you were contented with your lot -
and so did i...

But then Destiny stepped in -
with a new love, a new game:
whipped up a storm, from coast to coast -
and swept my barge into your calm bay,
and left me there, all tattered and torn -
in front of your boat, looking so forlorn...

It was that silent little cry for help -
that sprung from my lonely heart...
it was a tortured voice -
that wrung your heart...
and you had to stretch out your hand -
out of sympathy, to offer your help...

'Coz we were once two pieces of wood -
in a mill, then in a dockyard,
in our beloved homeland -
handled by loving skillful hands,
who know the notches and nitches of the trade -
together with others we were shaped:
i was a plank on a lovely barge,
and you were part of a sturdy boat...

Then on separate journeys -
we both eagerly embarked:
i went south - 'banished' from my homeland -
while you went north - to seek your fortune...

A half century elapsed at the wink of an eye -
Till the day when our paths crossed, again...
till the time when, all battered and torn -
i let off a silent sigh, a silent cry of pain...
and the wind carried it to your sympathetic ear -
and i heard the echo of your sad song, come softly back to me...

"Two pieces of wood from the same forest tree -
Living so far apart, but still i pine for thee..."