My Red Freckled Mermaid

Grant Hope #2

My red-freckled mermaid
She came to me suddenly
as if the rolling mountains and green valleys of this island coast
beckoned her to shallow waters then to my boat

The sun strikes her red hair with gentle fury
that is also reflected in her emerald eyes
Her spotted skin
smooth as stone washed by generations of water’s sloshing spin
Her lips purse with every moment our eyes meet
as if a girl and a woman have combined with innocence of life in ocean’s deep

She sits often with her legs bare against warm light on the rocky shore
feeling the reflection of the burning star where she couldn’t before
She has latched onto me as a guide to this new way of life
forcing me to view myself in humility and sometimes strife

This childish woman
beautiful and raw as the fresh ocean breeze
makes her a mirror to me
seeing what I am and what I should not be
From the depths of the ocean
she is everything I’ve forgotten through life’s crashing motion

Business Inquiries Only: granthope@mailfence.com