ManicDDaily

Mermaid

A dear friend suggested the topic of mermaids for a poem.   At first, I envisaged a poem about teenage girls diving into the surf on a tropical beach; but the poem that came out, a sonnet, was somewhat different.   I send an apology in advance to my more mature (in spirit) readers who thought I was finally over my Robert Pattinson fixation.

Different Tastes in Mythical Creatures

Some go for vampires; they like the idea
of sharp but elegant pursuit, the notion
that they personally are the cup of tea
of the ruthless.  Others look to the oceans,
scanning fantastic waves for a gleam of gleam,
twist of twist, the well-hipped curve of tail;
their magic’s found in the muscular seam
between breast and flipper, flesh and scale.
They love the submergence, dive to the unknown,
an elegance unclothed in its own wet skin,
Eve and the serpent combined, slicked hair let down,
the search for safety in the dare, plunge, swim.
Others—we’re too afraid to go in headfirst,
would rather wait, dryly, to slake another’s thirst.

For more on the mechanics on sonnets, check here.

This entry was posted on April 11, 2010 at 9:42 pm and is filed under poetry, writing exercises. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: 11th day of National Poetry Month, manicddaily, ManicDDaily poem, ManicDDaily watercolor, mermaid and vampire poem, Mermaid and vampire sonnet, mermaid poem, National Poetry Month, Robert Pattinson, sonnet, watercolor of mermaid