The mermaid who wanted legs

The mermaid who wanted legs

She sat on the rock

where the waves pulled away

listening to footsteps she could never obey

the cliffs were tall, the shore so near

yet all she knew was the sea to fear

Her scales were heavy, her tail a chain

each tide returned her to the same refrain

she dreamed of fields

where the grasses bend

but water was all that would never end

She watched the ships

loved their painted sails

their songs were soft like forgotten tales

men walked with ease on the solid stone

she whispered their steps in a voice alone

Her eyes grew dark as the gulls took flight

she prayed for legs in the dead of night

to dance on the earth where the lilies grow

yet bound she remained

where the waters flow

The stars gave no answer,

the moon no grace

her longing etched deep in a hollow face

the sea had claimed her,

it would not forgive

for dreaming of places she could not live

So she leaned on the rocks, the storm winds cried

and the waves drew near

like a groom to a bride

her sorrow unspoken, her silence drowned

a mermaid who wished for the forbidden ground