Poem: The Mermaid

The Mermaid

Irene Doura-Kavadia

A beautiful mermaid is sunbathing
there, on the deserted shore, upon a rock
She is looking forward to the dawn
to go hide in the depths of the blue sea
With her long blond hair blowing loose
in the north wind
She takes care not to be deceived
and her voice be taken away from her
by the five winds that define
the lives of the silver stars,
at the far end of the universe;
defining the fate of the fairies,
of the nymphs, of the sirens of unsurpassed beauty
The life at sea, travelling far and wide,
the mermaid does not want to abandon;
she wants to keep creating stories,
daydreaming, playing in the waves.
Mortal legs she does not need
in exchange for a bit of love
From someone who does not care
and the kisses of the soul ignores.
The prince had better not be washed away,
shipwrecked, on the sea shore
Better not a half-dead castaway
need be saved upon the golden sand.
For the nets of mortal love,
Fate had better not make her
in the nails of black witches
the bitter price pay
For a kiss on the ramparts of the castles…
Better in the sun washing her hair
rather than to belong in the light of the stars
Better alone! yet, in her loneliness, able to talk!

©Irene Doura-Kavadia