Mermaid Poem

Fifty-five years ago
Under the sea,
A long-lost companion,
Remembering me,
Glanced over her shoulder,
And murmured a sigh.
The water grew colder.
She saw the sky.
She saw breath in my heart,
And she took in her tail,
Swam to the surface
And searched for a sail
A ship she remembered
For eight thousand years…
After I slipped afar,
Drowning in tears.

I was too far away,
Dark and deprived.
Russia was dying and
I was alive.

I only have shadows;
Dim memories.
Eight thousand years ago
In the deep seas,
Cold in half consciousness,
Startled to be
Born in a body and
Flung in the sea.
We seduced sailors with
Nowhere to go.
…What I remember
Defies what I know.

In the dull days
Of 6000 BC,
Worn by the ways
Of the deep turquoise sea,
Perched on a stone,
I laughed and splashed you.
We were alone.
My whole heart thrashed you.
My whole heart threw you
Grieving to hell.
You say I knew you.
I knew you too well.

If mermaids are miracles,
What do I see
…When I remember
6000 BC.

- Written by Anna Williams at age 21