The Mermaid
The mermaid rests on a ring of rocks,
Sunlight glancing off her serpentine scales,
A shimmering rainbow of color
In the distance, a woman walks alone,
Drifting along the golden shore
Long hair flowing in the breeze
Like a charcoal flag,
Caressing sun-kissed skin
With gentle breaths
Forlorn expression,
Aqua eyes ringed in shades of red
From too many tears shed
The beautiful mermaid watches
Her lone love continue on,
And how she longs to be the one
The one to replace that frown
With a shining smile
The one to make those eyes sparkle
From joy rather than sadness
The one to be by her side,
Entwined for an eternity
But, as much as the mermaid wishes,
Her dream will never come true
For the two will always be separated
By the land and sea,
Respectively chained to each
Minnie the Mermaid
It confused her daddy when Minnie revealed
that she had a new friend from “deep in left field”
but she loved Daddy dearly, so it was proper
for her to stop hiding in “Davey Jones’ locker”
She set up a date for the three at his home
as she thought it was best if they told him alone
and now as a flounder flip-flops on a dock
her nerves swam in circles awaiting the knock
It is never easy for a “Daddy’s Girl”
to make her own way in a watery world
but Minnie was not one to live life a-float
the daughter of “Jaws” cannot taffy-coat
It was gonna be hard, it always is
to tell a shark you’re in love with a squid
she hoped her dad wouldn’t raise a stink
or crack jokes about Octopussy’s ink
A shark is a shark and will follow blood
Minnie would try not throw him chud
but his mind was closed, his hammerhead
full of dreams of the Great White he thought she should wed
Or maybe a tiger, the thought made her shudder
with camouflaged skin and tail-fin rudder
or a killer whale, but God forbid
what would Daddy do when he saw her squid?
Minnie’s heart sank when the door knocked
her head swam and her keel rocked
she opened the door full of dismal dread
for a squid has no chance when a shark wants it dead
Octopussy came in, and Jaw’s jaw dropped
at her pink and blue hair, closely cropped
but Minnie’s squid smiled, her manner unchanged
taking pride in those things that a shark found strange
Octopussy’s ease soon brought him around
and Minnie’s love grew for the friend she had found
their dinner went fine as her daddy hid
any reservations he felt for her femme squid
His heart is not fixed, even Jaws can evolve
he out-swam his fears and his courage resolved
to love his daughter, and to trust in his God
didn’t Neptune create cephalopods?
Dark long hair, she sat upon a rock brushing her fingers through and singing the most beautiful song.
“Father, look over there! Isn’t she beautiful.” Emma sighed dreamily looking through her binoculars into the deep blue ocean. Her father did not look from the horizon as he steered the ship
“That’s a siren, Emma,” he said, “They’re cruel, cruel creatures that lure in men with their songs and then sink their ships. Avoid them at all costs.”
Emma continued to stare at the majestic creature. How could something so ethereal be bad she wondered. Certainly her father was lying to her, he was probably only restating an old tale told from one of his older crew mates.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” she muttered under her breath and began to head down to her bed under the deck of the ship.
~~~~
Tap. Tap. Tap. The noise startled Emma awake.
Tap. Tap. Tap. She walked towards the door and opened it but no one was there. “Hello?” she called down the hall.
Tap. Tap. Tap. This time she realized the noise was coming from behind her. It was coming from the window of her room.
Tap. Tap. But what could it be? She was surrounded by the ocean.
Tap. She walked towards the window “Go away stupid seagull! I’m trying to sl-” she began to call, but when she reached her window it was not a bird looking back her, but a girlish face. It was the siren from earlier.
Emma gasped. She was speechless seeing something so beautiful up close. Tap. Tap. The siren tapped upon the glass and then gestured for Emma to open her window. Emma obeyed immediately. The siren brought her face closer to the porthole.
“Hello.” Her voice was smooth and delicate. Emma had never heard anything more beautiful.
“H-hi.” was all Emma could stammer back.
“I noticed you watching me earlier,” she said, “and I was a bit curious as to why there was such a beautiful human upon a ship with at least a dozen unworthy men.”
“I- uh- what? You noticed... me??” Emma could not believe what was happening. “I, uh, well actually live on this boat with my father and his crew mates and that’s just how it’s always been and I used to live with my mother on land of course but then she got sick and—“
“Sh..” the siren quietly hushed her, “that is alright. I simply wanted to check on you. To make sure they were not taking advantage of you, as most of these pirates do to young women. If you are alright though and do not need my rescuing I will be going.”
“Oh well yea,” Emma said, “I am not a prisoner here or anything, technically.”
The siren looked relieved once she heard Emma’s answer. She smiled at Emma and Emma instantly felt her heart sink as the siren began to turn away, back towards the ocean.
“Wait!” Emma called out. “May I at least know your name?”
The siren gracefully turned back towards Emma. “You can call me Celia.” Emma felt her heart skip a beat when she noticed the siren was blushing.
“Celia,” She replied back, “Well you can call me Emma.”
“Ok, then Emma, I bid thee goodbye and goodnight. I wish for safe travels to you and your crew.”
“It was nice to meet you.... Um, Would you consider coming back again?” Emma asked nervously. She instantly felt the heat rise to her cheeks.Celia noticed and Emma saw her try to suppress a giggle.
“If you would like, I could come back tomorrow?” suggested Celia.
“Yes! Yes please! That would be great you can come in the morning when everyone else is eating. I’d like that very much, Celia.” Emma was smiling ear to ear. This level of excitement was new to her.
Celia motioned for Emma to come closer to the window and once Emma was close enough she leaned in and kissed her upon the cheek, “I will see you tomorrow then.” Her smile was the most beautiful thing Emma had ever seen. Emma smiled back at Celia as she finally turned away and jumped back into the water.
Emma closed the window and skipped back to her bed. She felt her face, she had never felt such heat in her cheeks before.
Emma grabbed her pillow and hugged it as she dreamed of meeting Celia again tomorrow. For the first time she was excited to see what the next day would bring her. She fell asleep thinking about running her fingers through Celia’s long, shiny hair.
Rules of the Reef
"Dad... I have someone who wants to come have dinner in our reef. Is that... okay?"
"Uh, sure, why not? Bring him over anytime."
"...she's my girlfriend, dad."
"Oh, okay. Let's clean the coral around here, don't want her seeing all this pollution, for Neptune's sake."
"And about that... she's human."
"WHAT?! I won't have my daughter dating such... Go to your rock, young lady!"
Enticing
"I don't wanna!" Galia pouted and her mother sighed so hard a bubble came out and quickly rose toward the surface. "Sweetheart, this is the way it has always been and always will be, you can't change your nature." The girl gave her a withering stare. "What's the difference anyway, they're humans no matter what gender so what's the problem." How will you ever have children if you don't lure in any males" Meri asked in frustrated desperation. "Our race is entirely female without human males we will be lost." At that Galia exclaimed in shock and delight, "Is that the only problem Mother!" At Meri's confirmation Galia smiled. "If that's it then if I promise to lure some males in for mating, will you eat them since I think females taste better?"
My Flaming Beauty
Every morning at 7 I would watch as a delicate figure walked along the shore. Her head of flames trailed behind her, the wind caressing each strand like a meistro playing a masterpiece. I never knew where she was going or why she would travel this way, yet every morning at 7 I would hide under the dock just to catch a glimpse of her majesty.
However, some hands don't know how to hold such beauty.
On a winter morning, the darkness hid a mysterious figure. I still watched my flaming girl walk the beach at 7 when suddenly a large fisherman (I had seen him a few times on a boat) jumped out of some bushes and barreled towards her. Her screams filled the air only to be silenced by a gruff hand. I dove into the water trying to get to shore as fast as possible. My immediate instinct was to rush after her, yet my physical body kept me from doing any good. My flaming beauty bit this huge figure and made him yelp, kicked him in the middle place where legs connect to the body (and it seemed to have a strange impact on this man) and proceeded to sprint. Yet he was unperturbed by this, and once again caught hold of my precious gem, pinning her to the sandy shore.
I swam faster and faster, hoping I wasn't too late! As soon as I was at the edge between shore and waters I began to hum an old siren tune I had heard my fellow friends sing a while back. The man immediately stopped his motions and seemed mesmerized. The girl squirmed away from him as fast as possible. He began to stand and walk towards me. I hadn't been prepared for this moment (I'm a mermaid, I don't eat humans) so I continued to sing and pull him towards the water with my voice. The girl stopped abruptly as well and looked towards me.
Her piercing eyes took my breath away. My voice gave out as she continued to lock eyes with me. Before I could resume my tune, the fisherman grabbed me with his arms and began to walk me towards the land, heading towards green grounds. I tried to scream and yell, but once again my voice was silenced by his gruff hand covering my mouth. The girl sprinted towards us and spoke in a language I couldn't understand, yet he seemed to have control over her.
She beat at his hulking figure with her small fists, still yelling in their native language. Eventually he set me down so he could take care of her. As soon as my body hit the green surface, my fins disappeared immediately, leaving me with the two legs the humans had. A cold set upon my body I had never known. The girl ran toward me and seemed inquisitive, yet I couldn't understand her. She took off a layer of her skin and laid it on my bare chest. Sometime through this the man had departed, yet all I could focus on was the girl.
She was also slowly no longer speaking, and we just stared into each other's sparkling eyes.
I tentatively reached out my hand and gestured towards her flames. She seemed to chuckle and pulled it toward me, where I finally felt the texture of flames. There were soft, long, luscious strands my hands got lost in.
She then reached her hand towards my ears and touched them, beginning at the sharp tip and then trailed down to my neck.
At some point we had each leaned closer and closer to one another, until finally she took the plunge and our lips began to lock in a way I had never felt before, along with new feelings that came along with new legs.
Oh shit I thought, as she leaned me back onto the cool green surface. I realized that this was the beginning of love.
Cascada Bulma
“Cascada Bulma,” Kayla read running her hand along the words on the wall. The painting was fading and although she risked smudging the ancient ruins, she couldn’t help but touch it. The painting bestowed an image of the sea, above and beneath. Beneath lay the fish, crabs and mermaids of different colours. Above were the birds of the air and ships of the Europeans.
“Cascada Bulma,” she whispered it this time, afraid someone will hear her. She placed her hand on the one she thought might be Cascada and sighed. It was a long sigh, a sigh that released not only her breath but her hopes.
Cascada lay not just beneath with the merfolk but her head peaked above with the humans. Her silver tail glistened in the water clearly outshining her friends or family. Her hair was not painted a colour, which was quite a mystery to Kayla. Every part of this ruined wall had a splosh of colour except Cascada. If not for her tail, you would fail to notice her.
Kayla’s eyes closed for a moment stroking the image. She could feel her. She could feel the scales. She could feel the soft skin. She could feel Cascada. And in a moment she was there, under the sea. Panicked, she began to sink.
A flash of sliver flashed before her. Kayla reached out her hand. Cascada is here. Her hand was not grabbed. She felt the scales as if a snake, coil around her legs and her arms lunged upward. She felt herself being propelled up and it was exhilarating.
Landing upon a mermaid made for good support. Kayla wondered if she broke her as took her in. Her hair was not colourless but a velvet sort of grey and her eyes were the colour of stars. Her skin was pale and clammy; it was no wonder the artist couldn’t quite paint her.
The mermaid stared back in equal amusement.
“Cascada,” Kayla began.
“No, my dear, I am Elmeer. The one you seek is the there,” she pointed at the sea, “a ship of bloodthirsty men.”
Kayla sat up and so did her rescuer. She looked at the ship which could not be compared to the beauty beside her.
She turned to Elmeer, “No it’s you I seek,”
Elmeer smiled and took Kayla’s face in her hand and lay a soft kiss on her lips.
With a kiss and a sigh, Kayla was back to reality.
