Open 2021 Poems - M. F. Nagel

 

The merwoman and the lighthouse

By M. F. Nagel

 

There is a long rocky shore splitting the grey green sea from the black pebbled beach where a crumbling sea wall built of clay and sand embraces a lonely gull colored lighthouse towering tall above the mirrored mirage of a distant horizon

 

Eyes shut.


Sailors once and once pirates once and whalers once and once stowaways once came calling far and away came they guided sure and straight safe to harbor by the true hard gaze of the thing towering and tall through all weathers fair and foul all winds northeaster southeaster.

East or West. Safe by the true hard gaze.

Here then a merwoman came shadowed by the sun wandering

Alone and lonely along the long rocky shore splitting the grey green sea from the black Pebbled beach

Where a crumbling sea wall built of clay and sand embraced a lonely gull colored lighthouse towering tall above the mirrored mirage of a distant horizon

 

Eyes shut.

 

The merwoman shadowed by the sun camecarryingagainst her heart a basket woven of seaweed and winter grass fat with clams and sea glass.

She knew the lighthouse and the lighthouse knew she together they made two sad ghosts.

 

Until a day.

When came a day

Came healong

Alone and lonely

He from the sea

Knowing the lighthouse towering tall above the mirrored mirage of a distant horizon

Alone and lonely

Carrying against his heart a basket woven of seaweed and winter grass fat with sea glass and clams he came along

Together mermaid merman and lighthouse eyes shut made three sad ghosts.

 

“Be my love;”

 

Said he the merman who came along alone and lonely to the merwoman

“Live with me beneath the sea; just we now and forever!

“No-; will I not!

Said she the merwoman shadowed by the sun

Wandering alone and lonely

“No; will I not! Said she to the merman

Alone and lonely

Wandering along the longrocky shore carrying against his heart a basket woven of seaweed and winter grass fat with sea glass and clams

Near the crumbing seawall built of clayand sand splitting the grey green sea from the black pebbled beach

The lighthouse agreed.

 

And two as one became the merwoman and lighthouse shadowed by the sun

Eyes shut together

Stood one and another gull colored towering tall above the mirrored mirage of a distant horizon.

 

 

M. F. Nagel was born in Alaska, Her Athabaskan and Eyak heritage has given her a love of poetry. m.f. lives and writes near the banks of the Matanuska river in the Palmer Butte, among the moose, wild dog~ roses and cottonwood trees, drawing inspiration from her ancestors.

 

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