The Mermaid

By Justine C. Tajonera

There used to be a mermaid
who was scared of drowning,
beautiful scales undulating
in the waves,
warding off
inevitabilities
like
love.

There were sailors
aplenty who were
wrecked by
her singing,
but not so much more
than the mermaid herself,
whose heart had turned
to stone.

She had wandered in
and out
of the wrong fairy
tales,
bewildered by an
earnest toy soldier
and the icy touch
of a well meaning
ghost.

There was a prince
somewhere,
she heard,
waiting to find
her.

And so one day,
he did come
for her,
fins and
all.

But that was after
she had learned to
breathe.

(Dec. 22, 2009)

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathryn_rotondo/2180997509/