The Siren Speak

I once lived in a beautiful sea Not the letter But the horizon that got better and better As you explored. There was no way to tell day from night Unless you looked up But it depends how far you are from the surface And sometimes I’m gone for hours Watching the top transition from black to bright blue. Before the divers came and eradicated the cove I spent a lot of time alone Away Lonely But not alone. I used to play with fish and race guppies and watch the turtles float upside down I used to go watch a guy wrestle sharks I used to watch humans drown. Bermuda, Bermuda is what the humans call the island not far from the cove Maybe two days a swim to get there But it’s always a treat. My sister and I once went to the island Our silver tails undulating like the sea But on the way we crossed a big boat And I almost lost her serendipitously. I later learned that boats that size are referred to as yachts Traps for merpeople who can’t tell the difference between a fan and a turbine. I saw the humans on the top of the boat with colored cylinders in their hands, But it was really their legs that made them shine. I want legs. Two sticks Walkable Two feet attached. I’m tired of reaching where the water doesn't flow and unable to go forward Hindered By the very thing that permits me to swim. Those humans don’t know how lucky they are Those creatures don’t know how lucky they are Traversing to any plain imaginable No limits. With two feet you can Swim, Soar, and Run. 2 of which are impossible to do in a gravity-less domain. I can swim as far as I want as fast as I want And when I break the surface I can fly too, But I can’t walk. I can never walk. I can try to crawl like those tiny plump humans do, But like me they are restricted by their parents. If my mom knew how often I left the cove to explore Human sites she would strip me of my gills and leave me to drown like Humans. I have a pair of pearls with a secret. Humans have this idea that merpeople can craft their own jewelry Right Like we've invented that skill when we can hardly communicate with you? My race isn't that smart Without textbooks or leaders Or a language Or a thought. Sometimes I think that there’s a population of merpeople who don’t have brains Who don’t have thoughts Who don’t have feelings But I have feelings. I feel anger like the humans. I feel happy and sad and confused like the humans. I have a hunger of knowledge But humans don’t like to share their ideas with merpeople They only want to display them in water cages I hear they’re called tanks Aquariums And the moment I’m placed in one I’m classified as the brainless merpeople Merrily a pretty object Not an intellectual individual Just a pair of breasts and a fish tail Not a female creature, small and frail. Those brainless merpeople are the reason That the divers came. It’s also my fault But I’m not brainless. I was smart about the pearls. They were lovely when I first saw them Pale pink Bulbous Shining even in the darkest waters. I found it all alone Drifting Just as I do Sinking Just as my spirit does Sparkling Just as my eyes did in its reflection. I needed it It was mine I wanted something just like the humans. It obviously jumped off the yacht To be with me And not the previous owner Who had stupidly let the sea swallow it. It fit right over my gills Concealing a fraction of evidence that proved I was a mermaid A brainless one Because a human had jumped in after it and followed me all the way to the cove. Humans surprise me sometimes. One moment they’re carefree and happy and fat Then when they lose something precious They pine They chase They lie. The divers had nets Tiny blocks that even fingers couldn't squeeze through Against other blocks and blocks Like the merpeople who were trapped in them Against other merpeople and merpeople I was trapped against my sister and brother Signing them to stay strong Even when our tails were too restrained to move. In quick seconds the dark sea was shrinking away to light Tiny fish fluttered past Seaweed got stuck And we were raised above the surface Gasping for water Shivering Exposed and Guilty. The divers that took us They went by the name ‘Creature Control’. We were stored in a giant tank In a giant human plane And taken to a giant place Called the Dome. We were confused at first Not a lot of merpeople knew how to speak English And it was too late to go back to the ocean It was long gone. I had to learn too. I recognized some words My favorite was ‘Pearl’ Which rhymed with ‘Girl’ and was also my best friend. We had a chance To retrieve all of our things But they muzzled us all Confusing us as merpeople who could sing. I took everything The shells and stones and gems and lost things Took three bags to fill But only two seconds to spill. The Dome was big Scary No water. It required feet to explore And that was my first problem All of our problems. They sat me in a chair Two big wheels on the side Told me to test it out I revved around in style! I could finally explore To my heart’s content So many places to go! I wandered, so many hours spent. I thought, Sure, this could be better Doesn't smell like fish And less animals that could tear us limb-from-limb But there are other creatures here too And they don’t like living here as much as I do. And then I found That when I wanted to fly I’d be wrestled to the ground Even if I was only going to try. I soon found that I didn't like it here As much as I liked the sea I could be a lot of things here But not everything I wanted to be. So often I found myself in their detention Often I found myself with so much negative attention Often they tried to discourage me Often I was the villain in someone else’s story Often I was darted and smacked and tossed Often I found myself on the floor unable to get back up Often no one would come to my rescue Often I broke facial tissue Often I would search for a friend that would understand Her name was Crayne She gave me more than enough reasons to want to touch land Correctly. I am not a siren Nor a brainless mermaid Nor a thief Nor a misunderstood teenager I am a fish-tailed individual Who was named Diamond But found pearls.