Denise Rivera

The Mermaid

Dreams of struggling
in a winter ocean of tar
Treading the waves of black waters
where the horizon is hard to see
Where does the sky and ocean meet?

I see you rowing towards me
Something glowing in your hands

You bring a brilliant liquid
Brighter than the whitest light
yet flows like cascading honey
a sweet, dripping fire-water
to melt the icebergs of my heart

For you know
that even if I am surrounded by water
I cannot drink the salt that stings my wounds

A thirst you eagerly fill
With precious intoxication
a golden ...