I'm trying to recall
those mermaids:
women who dance on rivers laughing in the foam
spinning their bodies
catching fish
washing laundry
drowning children
the joy in them.
the connection to the awe of the land
the power
this is a way to live
didn't I see them?
weren't they my sisters?
why haven't they written in so long
Sometimes I see them I think
in people here and there
I LOVE YOU I shout
just in case
and I walk slowly by the river
always
