A Gift for Mermaids: Poem



Take your troubles to the place
Reynisfjara in Iceland
where the sand meets the sea,
and leave them at the edge --
a gift for mermaids.

The smooth hissing waves
take the edges away --
til they're worn. Smooth as an
old whale bone or soft purple shells.

Bleak gulls bear hostile witness
looping wide above.
A desperate presenter,
desperate to be absolved from the burden --
the solemn heavy weight of sorrow.

And the mermaids wait
under a quiet sea with ancient patience,
for a gift from an unknown traveler
seeking solace from mysterious benefactors.

And the mermaids accept the gift
with deft hands --
burying the treasure
in the darkened deepest part
of the sea's desolate sands.

So the fish bear cold silent witness
and the shifting waters accept this --
a gift from troubled travelers
to the mermaids of the sea.