Coral Hull: Poetry: Mermaid: The Woman on the Edge of the Sea: Reed - Song

I MACKENZIE KNIGHT I A CHILD OF WRATH A GOD OF LOVE I FALLEN ANGELS EXPOSED I

CORAL HULL: MERMAID: THE WOMAN ON THE EDGE OF THE SEA
Reed - Song

1.
shy girl of the reed water
voiceless as air
distant as sky

does her lover know

he has been fishing secretly in the mountains
he hopes to catch the shier fish
that arc the air like rainbows

but does he know
how to hold her

he has caught her
clumsily by the tail thrusting
her into the light of his world
she will die she will die
in his palms
he holds her with inexperienced eyes
if only he had called her name
softly
from a distance
then she might have come

but he does not know

there are no words to express his coyness
she is shy also cold to touch
she flips onto her belly she slips
through his fingers into the stream

he is left alone

2.
bare branched girl of river tides
she rides
the cold dark mountain stream far down
from the naked crags of his empty eyes
his hands
the bare stone of the highlands

away through the tree swept valley
she moves
far over meandering farmlands

a rake
a cottage
a candle
an open hearth

somewhere inside lovers yawn
the family strengthens
the ageing die
a wrapped babe cries
but does she stop to listen
she thrills
to shy curves of rounded water
she moves
swift along to a seasonal song
past paddocks and pumpkins
past the child with the streaming grey eyes
wash far over her and her soundless voice

she moves smoothly to the depth
of blue water
through thick ribbon weed heavy with
slime
past flick tailed fish
river rock eels and away from him
now

far away far away
her silver tail catches the light like
fine scales where the willow tip
touches the ice water tickles
her surface skin with breeze
wind and leaves
the voice of shyness

the distance of rivers carries her forward
she is cold and lost like wind
she is shy
like leaves and gone before spring
before she can remember him
she is free
and alone

3.
shy lover of the lowlands
she moves into night as the river spreads
wide among leaves
among
the crackle and quiver of reeds
finally
the slow drift deposits
have found somewhere to lie
sand sediment crusts her eyes
she surfaces
opens
looks into the sky

but she has been adrift from the mountains
too long
her song has grown weak
her flesh watery and pale
she must reach back
hold onto something

the towering distance the first
light
snow
winter
is low
and almost upon her

she calls weakly to him now
the freedom she has sailed
she has found the courage now to love
she needs his words
she needs his eyes

but all too late

he is far away
he has missed her
dreamed
of her but cannot hear her
she has left him behind

she lies in the dead reeds too soon
before her time

the winter has come and the grey water
shivers

4.
he is back in the mountains calling her name.

    

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