I was born a mermaid. Half divine fish, Half human female. My thoughts swam far and wide taking no prisoners.
I did not know I was myself until the age of six. My life had seemed like an extraordinary dream up to that point. I wasn't a girl bound by a name. I was the queen of a world of sea-kings and sea-nymphs. The day I glimpsed myself in the mirror, I rose from the waves, and caught a whiff of reality. It hit me so hard I couldn't breathe anymore amongst the fish I called friends.
I had to surface but I couldn't leave the sea. Land is too harsh for a mermaid's glistening scales. It roughs them up, takes away their shine. But the sea was also inhospitable to those who only halfway belonged.
I drifted between the two worlds always keeping my head upright above the waves. My skin grew sunburnt, My wrists grew thinner, My eyes grew dimmer, with every appearance of the moon's wistful face.
The two sides of me were at war and I was slated to be the sole casualty.
I did the only thing I could held my breath sank under the waves.
I made a deal with the sea-witch, tore my tail apart til it made two legs. Shed every single scale til the skin underneath wept red tears.
I made a deal with the sea-witch I gave her what was left of my tail.
I made a deal with the sea-witch, I didn't realize that my rebirth from the waves onto the gritty shore would be the last time I tasted the salt on my tongue and the wind in my mermaid-hair.
I made a deal with the sea-witch I gave her my soul.
This seems like it was inspired by the Little Mermaid, but it started out going in a completely different direction. Only when I finally finished the poem and showed it to a friend did I realize that it has a lot of parallels with Ariel's story, but I didn't actually mean it to be that way.