I wail in sorrow.
I used to be part of the land, a part of happiness.
I enjoyed life in my small sea side village.
My home was modest as was my life.
It was one I lived in without any family.
The rest of the town only took pity upon my fortune,
the fortune that brought a deadly illness to my parents.
I looked on the other side of the coin.
While other girls were sold into marriage by their fathers
I remained.
While other girls were slaves to their families
I remained.
While other girls were seen as trophies
I remained.
I remained without the chains colonial life bound women with.
No man took interest in the odd orphaned woman living at the edge of their existence.
I had no use without fame
I had no use without fortune.
I was simply a parasite living off the well being of the church,
a church which hoped to make me their sister
I refused such things
My worth would be my own.
I worked best I could as a charity woman.
Should anyone be brought down with illness my presence alone accompanied them.
Should a midwife’s assistant be required I gladly aided in her work to bring a new being into the world.
Should the church need a helping hand I was there.
I came to be known as a miracle.
I came to be known as damnation.
For all those I nursed recovered from sickness.
For the babies I helped deliver never came still or lame.
For whenever I handed out food little was required for the hungry to be filled.
For collections became grand when I asked for patronage.
Many believed me to be God’s gift,
something to remain pure and untainted.
That was the reason I took no man.
Many believed me to be Satan’s spawn,
something perverse and biding its time.
That was the reason I took no man.
My visits to stare at the sea were beautiful.
My visits to stare at the sea were abnormal.
The brown hair upon my head was left down because it was sinful to hide it.
The brown hair upon my head was left down because it was a sin to do so.
My pale complexion showed my purity.
My pale complexion showed my hate of the light.
The full pale pink lips upon my face made me into an angel.
The full pale pink lips upon my face made me into a temptation.
My thirst for knowledge was to save people.
My thirst for knowledge was to damn people.
Their views entertained me.
Their views annoyed me.
With them around I was me.
With them around I wasn’t me.
There was their time.
There was my time.
The time in which I returned to my little cottage on the edge of the sea.
The time in which I returned to my little cottage on the edge of the town.
My home which was also his home.
His home which was also mine.
The man I watched the sea waiting for.
The man that no one but I knew of.
The man who wasn’t a man.
He came one day.
He didn’t come the next.
He came whenever he could.
I loved coming home to his head bobbing in the waves.
I loved him.
His tail shimmering with scales.
His tail glimmering with scales.
His tail was magical.
His tail was powerful.
His tail replaced his legs.
His tail replaced the land.
His tail replaced me.
It was the reason he couldn’t leave the water.
It was the reason I had to enter the water.
Whenever he visited he came with wondrous tales of freedom.
Whenever he visited he came with wondrous tales of his people.
He made me feel loved as I sat on the beach and he in the waves.
He made me laugh as I sat on the beach and he in the waves.
He made me feel alone as I sat on the beach and he in the waves.
I only wished to be with him.
I only wished to be like him.
One day he came with a smile.
One day he came with hope.
He had followed a legend to hope.
He had followed a legend to legs.
Leaving the sea, he walked to me.
Leaving the sea, he walked into human life.
We awoke changed in the sunlight.
We awoke terrified in the sunlight.
His legs remained.
My legs did not.
His beautiful tail had become mine.
His beautiful freedom had become mine.
His beautiful prison had become mine.
He carried me into the sea.
He carried me into my new life.
He told me where to go.
I told him where to stay.
He told me I transformed because it was meant to be.
I told him I transformed because it was a curse.
His visits to stare at the sea were beautiful.
His visits to stare at the sea were abnormal.
I came to see him each day.
He came to see me each day.
I tried finding a way to hope.
I tried finding a way to legs.
We remained in love.
We remained separate.
He died.
I lived.
I began to wail.
I began to let my sorrow be heard.
I let the townsfolk hear me as I cried along their beach.
I let the townsfolk be mystified as I cried along their beach.
I kept wailing as they left.
I kept wailing as there was no one left to hear.
I kept wailing until I died.