Mermaids

Mermaids weren't meant to walk on land.

Mermaid

Once upon a time
I lived as a girl
who could not feel the skin
surrounding her world

We moved to the shore,  
She and I, a long time ago
one day she walked into the water
Just so she could freeze and burn

She and I went when the sun was high
and reflected off the waves
We learnt that if she stared for long enough
the world around us would turn black

And we froze and we burnt
all at once, and none at all
and the salt came
and we drank the ocean to quench it

But our body grew numb too quickly
skin changing colour as it slowly died
so we started going out later
searching for the coldest water we could find

But as the night grew in
the moon did not burn as bright as the sun
it was silver and waxed and waned
inconstant, it forgot about us

about me

And as hard as she used to stare
it couldn’t hurt our eyes
although the world was already black
so we didn’t worry

With nowhere else to look
I looked down at our burning, freezing body
watched it bulge and shrivel and flinch
distorted from the water

I watched as our feet turned to fins
our voice rough
our fingers grew webs
And our eyes became beautiful and dark

But I saw our mother on land
and she wept the sea we were in
and our father paced the shore
too afraid to swim

I learnt that you need legs to walk
I learnt that you need lungs to breathe
So although we swam to them and sung so sweetly
We couldn’t join them on that warm shore

So I paid a witch
To cleave my fins back to legs
To tear me out the water
So now I walk on land

but my lips are melded together
whereas hers were open to sing
and the skin around me is dying
while hers felt alive everyday.

Reviews

[revalatia]

Beautiful write. . ...Trying to change from what we know ourselves to be, can alter the essence of our being..It makes me wonder if the sacrifice is ultimately worth it. ...but I guess that's one of the great mysteries.. Personally, I'm all about mermaids, so I especially enjoyed reading this. Thank you.

[silverlocket]

Thank you for your lovely review, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[silverlocket]

I'm working through splitting the personalities (she and I) does it work? Or should I have stuck with "I" all the way through?