Mermaids

Where humpbacks sing
Mermaids frolic in the sea
Dancing among the waves
Next to the whales and me
Paddling their flippers
Their eyes gazing rapturously
And darting from fish to fish
To coral to anemone

Where volcanoes sleep

Mermaids come ashore
Falling to velvet sand
Amid soft citrus and salt scents
Seaweed on their backs
Sighing into sweet dreams
As the gentle evening sun
Gives a good-night kiss
 
A mermaid is carried home
To where family waits:
Flippers are peeled off
My sleeping mermaid
And she’s awakened
For a warm shower,
Grilled cheese sandwiches,
And a bowl of tomato soup
 
Where my mermaid swims
As she smiles in her sleep
I don’t know.
But wherever she is
I hope she tells me tomorrow