Tails of green, blue and silver playfully splash,
By the beach house’s old tattered white pier.
Red is the color of their long surfacing hair
As the old widow watches them swim near.
Mermaid twins with pearls woven intricately into,
Crowns made elegant with thin, spaced fishing lines.
As a child, she had long adored their mother who
Had died, leaving the twins both suddenly behind.
Caught in a trawler’s gill net, the widow saw her fight,
As the daybreak washed shells upon the wet sand.
Holding her delicate face, the widow sang to her,
While death met her on the dry and awkward land.
As the sun began to rise creating red and yellow hues
The aged hands finished braiding the twins’ long hair.
Her song ended as she watched them swim far away
A secret kept for decades one she dared not ever share.
Somedays, she felt fearful of these early morning hours.
Reaching her cabin door, the hopeful widow shed a tear,
Reminiscing about her childhood swims with their mother,
Her deep love for the twins’ mix joy with maternal fear.
Will I see their mom when I reach Heaven and see My Lord,
The woman pondered as she sat solemnly in her dated chair.
Recalling days her husband swam beside her in the sea,
Oh yes, I will see them both waiting patiently there for me.
by Joni 11/22/19
Photo by Joni
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