Mermaids
There are waves to chase and
a foamy face
and scales and tails and curls to place
But whose is which and
what is mine?
Raindrops running down a sign
which says one must respect the sea--
the wide and neverending sea--
the sea which lies in front of me--
But, oh, who reads the sign?
I respect the sighs and
the scale-rimmed eyes
and the words I heard, preferred though lies
But I cannot hold and
it's gone too soon
Nothing left but sea and moon
which say one should respect them both--
the ocean and the white moon both--
by pledging heart and hand and troth--
But I've never loved the moon.
I've loved the smiles and
the tall shell piles
and the land of sand; the hot green isles
But the world comes quick and
makes them hide
I find that my respect has died:
the love is gone; I stand alone--
on the moonlit shore, once more alone--
without a face to call my own--
For the eyes and smiles have died.
Back to the Index.