Last Words in a Cockle

I wrote this response poem to Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee" as a task for a creative writing task in my class, in order to give a different aspect on the same story. Hope you enjoy!

Last words in a Cockle

I plead you should not weep for my eternal sleep.

Our love so mighty and pure one can handle no more

For there are forces stronger than gravity

 sweeping my spirit away on a windy night.

Our bond made by tightly knit strings

that Sirens cut and stole to decorate their harps

accompany their chant

and seduce my juvenile soul  to their mystical kingdom

We dance our days away in our little undersea Eden

They tell me tales of past lovers

Their names long forgotten ,

 their steps on the sand  erased by the tides

among  a plethora of colorful seashells.

The Sirens unveiled a secret to me

that I wish not to disturb your peaceful dreams

They told me that a love like ours

A love they’ve shared and enjoyed the most before

Is one that drags a woman in our kingdom

To set her free

Like a rose our man was

Its thorns insidiously penetrating our souls

Drowning any sense of self in the wild ocean

Tangling our uniqueness in seaweed

Pressuring us down till we cannot see the night sky no more

Sinking us deeper and deeper

Suffocating us more than water in our lungs ever will

So I beg of you not to come see me

I wish to stay with them

Isn’t it sad when life proves different than fairytales?

Reviews

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

i see sirens are a recurring theme in your work. do they hold a personal significance to you?