Mermaid

Mermaid

I and a friend took a bus to the end
Of the island, where all the beautiful people come,
She too was on the bus, I didn’t know her then,
She too was with a friend, why would I care?
We walked down to the public beach,
Went on a way, far out of reach
Of parents with their kids, we let them be

Soon after we unfolded our beach chairs,
I turned and saw her sitting there,
Not uncomfortable, I was comfortable,
When came that Man moment we have at all ‘nude’ beaches,
I stood up and dropped our my shorts, thinking only
“How much lotion should I apply, and where?”
Though no one watched, I’d not coat it there

Under the July sun, glistening bodies all about,
She and her friend too sunbathed without tops,
I looked away, the gentleman,
… not my first day on the beach

Like a touch of cold water,
She chilled me from behind, asking;
  “Could you please take our picture?” offering her phone,
They walked back to the cliffs, stood arm in arm,
I framed them in the camera mode, they leaned in close,
A safety, plus my pulse too was clicking,
She thanked me for her phone, and I felt strongly
My friend and I needed a swim, in cold water,
A place where I could hide my pride
  … and safely be unseen

She and her friend came after too,
A few yards down, watching her I dreamed, as we,
Unknowing, naked children in our same sea bed,
Dove and jumped within Poseidon’s green waves,
Whose sea fig leaves only preserved our innocence,
Yet soon the cold sea did its job, cooling my blood,
I walked back to my beach chair, and watched

She climbed to sit upon a sea rock,
Her friend frolicking nymphlike in the froth before her,
She taking white sea spray upon her breasts,
White gouts of foam ran down her laughing face,
I had to put my shorts on

Late came time to return for the bus,
She with her friend, dressed again as we,
Leading to where we would need part,
At their bus stop, miles before we came to ours

Wanderlust,
We have returned to that beach since,
She’s not been back, not one footprint