A couple months ago, I had mermen on the brain, so I ended up writing a poem about one!
It was partly inspired by something I came across on the internet in which someone suggested maybe mermaids didn’t mean to drown people (it turns out there is in fact a poem written by Yeats about this very thing). It was also partly inspired by numerous pieces of merman art I saw in which the mermen looked so curious and playful that I had this thought of, what if there was a merman who didn’t just forget that humans couldn’t breathe underwater, he never even understood in the first place?
And well, here is the result of that thought š
Humans were so interesting,
With their smooth tails split in two,
Their colorful bits and baubles,
Their noises so foreign and new.
He knew the humans liked him,
For when they saw him in the night,
They’d park their ships right on his rocks,
And all shout with delight.
Sometimes they’d even decide
To join him in the sea,
Gifting him with bubbles
That tingled and filled him with glee.
He’d twirl with them in the water,
Their fabric rough against his gills,
But he loved their charming oddities,
Their obsession with metals and frills.
The prettiest, liveliest ones,
He’d bring down to his caves
So they could be playmates forever
Under the ocean’s waves.
But now he looked around,
At the little place he called his own
Feeling confused, feeling weary,
Feeling very, very alone.
He must’ve been unlucky,
For every human that he’d found
Merely looked at him with glassy eyes
And didn’t make a sound.
7/14/17
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Ohhhh, nice, Kristen! Love the mix of whimsical innocence with the macabre.
Thank you! That’s exactly what I was going for XD
Love it š
Thanks!!
I love this, And it was such a unique take on the subject.
Thanks!
I love this Kristen! The twist at the end is awesome. Looks like I’ll have to track down that Yeats poem one of these days.
Thank you! Just look up “Yeats mermaid poem.” It’s only like 5 lines, but it’s good š
I love it! You have so much talent. I love the little surprise at the end.
Aww thank you! <3
That is a delight! It had me laughing aloud and reads very well. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you!
This is so good! I love the idea that the merman doesn’t get that humans aren’t fish and can’t breathe underwater. Definitely misunderstood – and I like that angle. š
Thank you!! I thought it would be a fun angle to play with š
As you know I like a dark take on the mer, or at the very least the possibility of darkness. This fits the bill nicely! And the poor guy doesn’t even GET it. Nice little melancholy touch š
I love the line about gifting him with bubbles
Oh yeah, that’s right, you do like dark mer stuff! But this poor guy, he didn’t even mean to be so dark! Thanks š
Amazing. I love the idea of the merman’s innocence. Very nice poem. I’m a poet myself and I love poetry. The concept of the poem is intriguing. Great work!
Thank you!!!
That sure is an interesting perspective! And the poem is beautiful and sad and a tad disturbing as well. To imagine that lonely merman in a cave filled with corpses, because he doesn’t understand they can’t breathe underwater.
I like mermaid books and how each author seems to have a slightly different point of view on them, in some they are very much the good guys and in others they are more monsters.
Thank you! You read my mind! I almost mentioned something about how, before I even started, I knew I wanted the poem to end with that image of him in the cave full of corpses because it’s so awesomely morbid.
I like seeing different takes on mers as well, and you’re right, sometimes they’re very human, other times they’re much more vicious!
I’ve been into sirens and mermaids lately because of the book I recently read, so I thoroughly enjoyed your poem. So well written, Kristen!
Thank you! I saw your review for the siren book. I’ve actually never read about sirens, but I do like merfolk!
I have been reading the Anita Blake book series by Laurell K Hamiltion. The books are what I call vampire porn. Anyway, yesterday I was reading Danse Macabre and there was a vampire that had a mermaid as an animal to call. Well, actually she was a siren. She was a monster. She was pimping out her children to Anita. Anita refused of course.
But I used to like the Disney movie The LIttle Mermaid.
Oh that’s unique that she could call mermaids! The Little Mermaid is a cute movie š
Apparently, I missed this back in the day. What a clever concept…love the ending!
Thank you!!