Mami Wata Poem by Nate Tulay

There are scars above my heart
disguised as birthmarks that I
should have known were from you.

They tell a story, from ages ago,
that has since been lost in time.

The earth is young and the world
is still beautiful, filled with trees,
oceans, and wildlife.

In a tiny village, by the great and
endless water lives the sweetest of
creatures: she's the last of her kind.

Her black skin glows,
and she bathes it at noon.
She bathes it in the endless blue water
and braids her thick long black hair.

The sight is mesmerizing
and can seduce even a faithful man.

It beguiles me on my way home
and casts an ancient spell.

The only things I remember,
the only things I remember,
are the tears in my wife's eyes
and my dagger piercing through my heart.