Betrothal

by Cristina Nehring (February 2025)

Not like Edna in The Awakening,
Not like Edna who walked into water
To end her life.
–
You sallied into the sea to swim
To frolic with your friends, the waves,
To trick and to tickle them
–
And to be knocked upside
And slither over the pebbles
Beneath them.
–
An athlete, you were used to the to and fro
In the South of France.
So it was anathema that one of your allies, the ripples
–
Pulled you under and sunder. It was a crime.
And yet your time—who knows—
Might have been coming, later or sooner.
–
And rather than languish in long-term disease
The ocean said “I’ll do as I please.”
You plunged under the foam;
–
A mermaid reclaimed by her lover, the tides.
You tried to escape
But the Lord had your nape.
–
Farewell, fine friend, our love will not cease,
We’ll cherish you always
Not only You
–
But your daring—
And your wily wedding
With the water gods.
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