The Mermaids' Last Gig Poem by Sheena Blackhall

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.