Mermaid (For Chiamaka)

That night, I sang a song-
A soft soothing song,
pleasant, as sunset,
Of an angel
Whose voice and touch
Set my heart to ecstasy.

That night, I danced too,
Like children
At the beginning of new rains.

Met her on my way
To the full moon dance,
By the narrow path
Of the yellow stream,
Where the mermaids
Are forged.

She is a mermaid
Made for the god of harvest.
She was clad in purple pearls,
And white feathers
Of the spotless eagle.

Then, we met.
The fire in her eyes
Going through my lenses,
Burning memories away,
Of days gone by,
Spent on drunken dance
With the women of the green lands.

Now, I walk the village,
invisible;
Go through the big flames,
Unburnt;
See through her eyes,
My soul,
Beating the god of harvest
In combat.

Now, I sing her song all day,
Beyond the early strands of daylight,
Beyond the last embers of sunset.


Before I met her
I could never see the rainbows,
Could never feel the taste of
New wine.

Before the fires of her eyes,
I was hunted by cold memories of
Failed songs.

Now, I sing a song of brilliant colours,
Beyond the clouds ,
Beyond the piecing light of dawn,
And birds dance at my chambers.


I go now, to worship at her alter.

***

I come, love mermaid;
I come bearing the Nodes of my heart,
As offering,

As evidence of my love
For your soul,
For your Heart.

I only ask for your carefree laughter,
And the glow of your Enfant smiles.

It's raining again.

In my head,  in my heart,  in my eyes.
My questions and demons are back.

Where do we go from these plains?
Blue cold Plains of anguish
Set before us....
By the unseen fingers of the years.

Where do we look.... for light-
Green rays of the sun
To lift our forlorn souls?

Few days ago,
We were boisterous,
Like children licking their toes
During the full moon.

Just days after
And we are growing old.

Age creeps on us like a creeping flood.
We are separated from the vestiges
of Carefree laughter.

Today,  I met a man going southward
He was lying on a blue cloaked bed
Shedding the remnants of his wry skin.

And he said to me,
"Son,
It all goes up in smoke,
It's all going up to the sky
And nothing will be left behind"

It's raining hard
In slants.