mermaids

When we were mermaids,
All the world was soft and swaying,
And you and I, swirled in eights,
Captivated by our shimmering tails,
One another and the mysteries.
 
Our treasure was in the shells,
Miracles we cupped in exalted hands,
Like a blessed rag-tag of children,
Or dreams of the city we’d build.
Rainbowed by sparkling schools of fish.
 
When the blinding surface broke and cut
We nursed our wounds in the lapping cave,
Let our tears join the undertow,
Fed each other laughter soup,
Restored one another with seaweed crowns.
 
Grown-ups, we are on the shore,
But “be careful,” we warn,
For there are mermaids below,
Swimming with the white whales,
In the paradise of two we carry with us.
​
For Evelyn at 55.