Forgotten Mermaid

A Poem by Saint

She gazes across
The fresh, open sea.
She stares out the window
Waiting for me.
Long, long ago, back when I was young
I once knew a girl who was so full of fun.
This maiden of mine, she danced and she twirled
Her songs would leave echos, that resounded through worlds.
These songs brought my heart laughter,
And these echoed as well, to the ever hereafter.
Being with her I was so filled with bliss
The same way I felt when she gave me a kiss.
She searches across
The dark, swelling sea
She hopes out the window
Longing for me.
When we were children, no more than 18,
We decided to marry, be our own king and queen.
We wished to spend the rest of our lives
In the arms of each other, as husbands and wives.
Our joy would be endless, forever complete;
Our love story would be pure, with an ending unbeat.
But I couldn't provide for her well
With no money to speak of and no trade I could sell.
She watches across
The calm, desperate sea.
She prays out the window,
Hoping for me.
I knew that I had to be her care taker
To be her lover, provider, and she my home maker.
I decided to do the only thing that I could;
I'd sell my life to a man, a captain of wood,
Who told me I'd sail at the next high tide
"So you'd better say 'bye" to your future bride".
"Not forever", I said, "Just a few years"
But it didn't keep me from the pain I saw in her tears.
She screams across
The dark, manacing sea.
She hangs out the window,
Yearning for me.
The first years went by quick, while out on the sea
But I ached for my dearest, who I hope did miss me.
I needed to feel her, and to breathe her again,
Unable to feel the world's hurt and it's pain.
To be by her side, as we shared our vows,
And to carry her into our brand new house.
But I knew that this action was for the best,
However I couldn't know, it was the ultimate test.
She sings across
The vast, empty sea.
She looks out the window,
Remembering me.
She soon got the news that my ship had been lost
For weeks without end she sobbed and she tossed
Her hands, which once had been used to hold mine,
They now were a weapon, used to curse time.
She howled and raged, and screamed at the sea,
Wondering why, of all people, it had to be me.
She lost her mind, or so they have said,
Cuz after that storm, she had been found dead.
She floats across
The cold, gloomy sea.
Her tears are the raindrops
Now mourning me.
I had survived, by a cruel twist of fate,
And when I arrived, I wound up too late.
My love had been drowned, her life by love ended,
Now left me with naught, but a cold heart unmended.
Only when I stopped hating my God and my life
Could I begin to recover, from the loss of my wife.
I see her now, by the big window waiting,
And I wait for a time when my heart will stop aching.
She gazes across
The fresh, open sea.
She stares out the window
Waiting for me.

© 2010 Saint

Author's Note

This epic story-poem was actually a contest contribution originally. It was based off a painting by Salvador Dali, and contestants were told to have free reign with how the image spoke to us. I immediately wrote this and was awarded first prize. This poem has won me several gold medals for writing, and it continues to be one of my proudest achievements.
Written May 5th, 2004