The prince wanders, unable to
Think of the things that he must do
For he thinks his heart is starting to ache
For the women he met by mistake

But she won’t know that it was he
Who saved her from the depths of the sea
And without two legs like the other men
He could never see her again

Melancholy and pain arrayed
And then he knows that there’s a way
To travel to the witch of the sea
And ask her to answer his hopeful plea

And so he swims to the dark and deep
No time to rest, no time to sleep
He reaches the dungeon of the ocean floor
Goes up and slowly knocks on the door

Inside answers the witch, appeased
Thinking of the kingdom she will seize
She listens to the prince ask for legs
As he bows his head to her and begs

She tells him that he has a choice
To give up his alluring voice
And in return walk on land
But only if he follows her demands

For should the maiden not love him back
The spell that holds him would begin to crack
And he’ll dissolve into the seas
But foolishly, the prince agrees

the lagoon turned lilac at the sight of her
hair as golden as the sun, eyes as pure as pearls
her voice like a hundred piece orchestra

sailors swooned and searched the lilac lagoon
for a chance to uncover her beauty

she rests just below the surface
preying on the sailors above who sought out sin
she lured them in with her golden hair and pearly eyes
sang a song of the ocean
i have hidden beauties just for me, take a peak you’ll drown at sea

As the maiden sinks down and down
A few more seconds, and she will drown
What a coincidence, for at this instant
The prince is there, coexistent

As he watches the beautiful maiden fall
His father’s rules he can’t recall
He swims over and quickly saves
The maiden who fell beneath the waves

The prince brings her over to the sands
And crawls up upon the human lands
Quietly he sings his sorrowful songs
And goes back to the water where he belongs

The witch watches with spiteful delight
As the maiden blinks in the incoming light
The maiden knows not of the prince appearing
Only the voice she remembers hearing

The prince swims back to his palace home
Coated with seashells and draped with foam
His father would never approve, he thought
So him leaving was not for naught

How he hates his responsibilities
No point dwelling on impossibilities
Or on the maiden he’s forbidden to see
How he just wishes to be free

Once about a time, she began
There was a kingdom no one knew
It resides underneath the waves
Entered and seen by few

In the sea, these creatures swam
With not two legs, but a tail
They had shining sparkles and flares of light
At the teardrop of each scale

They were different, these creatures were
Not many know the truth
They had beauteous faces, and shining skin
And forever remained in their youth

Some say they have magic, simple spells
But wicked sorcery is what’s said by the rest
Spells and power that rattle the stars
It is said it’s what they do best

Some men say that they’ve spotted them on
The journeys upon which they embark
But these men think foolish fantasies
And are complacent in the dark

For these creatures are never seen
Forbidden to lay eyes on the lands
They stick to their homes beneath the waves
Away from the human sands

So some say they’re only a myth
But they’re just not there to dwell
So listen closely, listen here
For I have a tale to tell

A shriek. Her song.
The way she sways as her mouth opens ever so slightly to release its cursed vocals.
A familiar tune, I used to hum.
In the tub, while looking at the crumbling roof.
Always whispered, never spoken loud.
Always shy, never proud.
Soaked in the water's silky grasps, floating.
Sinking.
Drowning.
In her gentle embrace.
Tempting, tempting.
It's cold.
She's warm.
No air, no heart.

Seen in the distance,
        beauty glistened
though ocean waves..

"Help me please,

                              She smiled,
  as she dragged him under...

Floating
by Michael R. Burch

Memories flood the sand’s unfolding scroll;
they pour in with the long, cursive tides of night.

Memories of revenant blue eyes and wild lips
moist and frantic against my own.

Memories of ghostly white limbs ...
of soft sighs
heard once again in the surf’s strangled moans.

We meet in the scarred, fissured caves of old dreams,
green waves of algae billowing about you,
becoming your hair.

Suspended there,
where pale sunset discolors the sea,
I see all that you are
and all that you have become to me.

Your love is a sea,
and I am its trawler—
harbored in dreams,
I ride out night’s storms;
unanchored, I drift through the hours before morning,
dreaming the solace of your warm *******,
pondering your riddles, savoring the feel
of the explosions of your hot, saline breath.

And I rise sometimes
from the tropical darkness
to gaze once again out over the sea . . .
You watch in the moonlight
that brushes the water;

bright waves throw back your reflection at me.

This is a poem I wrote as a teenager. It has been published by Penny Dreadful, Romantics Quarterly, Boston Poetry Magazine, The Chained Muse and Poetry Life & Times. Keywords/Tags: love, romantic, romanticism, mermaid, siren, Lorelei, sea, night, dreams, eyes, lips, limbs, *******, breath, sunset, surf, waves, caves, moon, moonlight, seaweed, hair, storms