Selkie Poem by Fiona Lochhead

The Selkie was bathing in morning light

A fisherman struck by this beautiful sight.

Alone he was in his solitary life

He stole her pelt and made her his wife.



The Selkie kept her thoughts within

But knew no comfort in her skin.

Performing chores with quiet despair

Invisible chains to keep her there.

An ocean of heartbreak swam in her eyes

She was never a woman this cruel disguise.

The crest of the waves she was dreaming of

Not a husband and prison that some call love.

Years passed by in this housewife role

The fisherman forgot to guard what he stole.

She found her pelt; these shackles to sever

And to the sea returned forever!

The fisherman's love drove him nearly mad

Grieving for something that he never had.

Calling her back from her home in the seas

Like trying to trap the wind in the trees.