Unclothed
the fable of the mermaid
lies quietly in my bath.
I swore
I wouldn’t tell
and it’s not likely
I’d be believed.
Anyway,
her soft sounds
the relief
of finally finding water,
this water,
with a hint of salt.
Slightly above tepid
her shoulders glisten
recharge
just underneath
her patterns
start to appear.
Scale-like
pillowy softness
there is this
resetting magic.
Her eyes
glisten inside
with the brightest blue
a self reflection.
She smiles,
everything falls apart
a dagger is pierced
forever wounding
she invites my hand
her lips
kiss fingertips.
A hand to skin
we’re inside talking
her unheard voice
words play
automatically.
A strange
new dialect,
a sort of clicking
her brilliant
ancient language.
It’s hard to imagine
putting her back
in our world.
In this moment,
she protests,
swears,
this is exactly where
she belongs
and stays.