mermaid

under the deep blue sea
lies me
covered in the element
of fluidity
light in motion
I am me
enveloped in the sea
brazen and wet
I splash with great fervor

Immersed in the sea
I am free
I grow gills
and a gilded tail
with grace, glide,
give love

I am great
within the walls
of this vast water
humming a deep
melody of wonder -
those who witness
the sound fall prey
to my beauty
dive into the sea
never to return
to life on land

on land I
am not great
my beauty drained
by sand and sun

I too, do not return
to my home
when wooed by a
land man, full of brute
distraction, his melody
fooled me once
but could not fool me twice
for when on land
I'm as dead as rice

so as for me
and as for he
I'll set him free
and so will he

I'll swim away
he'll walk to land

I am great
He is grand