Mermaid
October 10, 2024

I was so happy
in the darkness
listening to the silence
thinking
this silence
must be here all day long
I could stop anytime
and listen to it
but perhaps it is louder
here in the dark
in this early morning

I was so happy
with the image
that came
of being a mermaid
underwater
in a river
letting the river take me
where it would
smoothly sometimes
sometimes snagged
in eddies
tangles of weeds
then getting free again
I am so sleek
as a mermaid
able to go anywhere
smooth as silk

So,
being so happy,
why did I get up
to get this computer?
I had to.
So many
songs coming up inside
so beautiful
as they appear inside me
It is hard letting them all go
I want to catch them

My chin is pointed up
tilted
I can see the pink cloud
over the mountain
that is a dark shape
against a pale sky
that has just a hint of baby blue
and look
another pink cloud

It’s time to go out
I must go.