A flash mob formed from nowhere
Word spread like fire on a moor
Mermaids were in town, giving a live performance
An aquatic happening
The buzz was amazing,
You couldn’t invent a better piece of staging
Folk scrambled up the cliffs,
Hung from the lip of the lighthouse
The sea was the mermaids’ platform
Unaccompanied singers, some said their song
Sounded like whales or swans in their death esctasy
The words were religious, an obscure hymn or chant
Whatever, the crowd were enthralled, entranced, enchanted.
And the dancing! Dolphin leaps in the air
Those half-fish women were awsome.
Took your breath away, their wave routine
Three hours it lasted in all, without an interlude
No compere either and no amplification
The audience went frantic. The atmosphere was electric
And nothing there to record it for posterity
The tide shuddered and shook like a wet cat
The sea-blown song rolled into the ears of shells
We sensed this was the merfolk’s farewell tour.
We hear they have no plans to sing again.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem