THE EBONY MERMAID

THE EBONY MERMAID WITH RAVEN BLACK HAIR

EYES OF GOLDEN BROWN BERYL BEADS

AND THE WAVES OF THE SEA

 

And the waves of the sea

Came gushing forth

Riotous and free

The ebony mermaid with raven black hair 

And eyes of golden beryl brown beads 

Came swimming ashore every once in a while

To see the sailors pass by

In their wooden boats

Trying to catch with their fishing nets

The wishing golden and silver fishes beyond

The silver waves of the slashing sea

Every day she would watch

And admire a sinewy lad

Come forth with brown locks of gold

And a satchel containing few reels and silver lines

To ferret and catch with his fishing rod

A worm his bait

And to fill thereby his woven vacant 

Cane basket full of silver and golden fishes

 

To his great allurement

He sighted far beyond, the ebony mermaiden

With black raven hair

And eyes of golden brown beryl beads

Swimming beneath the waves rocking to and fro carelessly

The silvery foaming sea

And wished indeed very much to have her as his wife

In his pining human heart

All forsook he by the ebony mermaiden with black raven hair

And eyes of golden brown beryl beads for his fishy bride to be

To live in his withered straw hut

Near the shore side

 

He thought and though first time reluctant was he

Wilfully and unhesitating, eagerly resolved

He had to catch the big fish in his silvery net

    Thus to tame the beautiful beast

As his silvery fish tailed ebony mermaiden bride

And live with him near the shore side hut of straw

Beneath the shady coconut trees

Every day he watched the pretty ebony mermaiden with black raven hair

And eyes so golden, brown beryl beads

Seated on a rock tempting with her wiles

The precious heart of the landlubber sailor fisher man

 

Now though he cared much more 

Than she ever dreamed

For she was hidden beneath the veils of the rising high tide

Of the silver waves of the sea

Now before it ebbed, receded and diminished

And before the ebony mermaiden vanished away into the sea

He dropped his silvery net just below where he sighted

And with a great tug-o'-war and an immense pull

Brought the mermaiden ashore up the wooden boat

Now though it surprised the ebony mermaiden

With raven black hair very much

Her golden brown beryl beaded eyes grew with astonishment

To find her in the grasp of the brawny sailor she secretly admired

From the shores up above

She flipped and tossed and breathed vigorously in and out

As if a fish he tangled….. a fish out of water

 

But calming down the luscious locks of the mermaiden

And gently removing the mesh around her waist

And slithery tails

He spoke in a language

Though his discourse the ebony mermaiden

With raven black hair

Astonishingly seemed to understand

I reckon both mermaid and fisherman

 Fully understood the gnashes and the clashes

Of the sonorous waves buffeting the shore side sharpened rocks

Like a pencil sharpened by a blade

She looked with eyes of brown golden beryls

With sun dipped mascara and heavy laden clouds as black eye liner

Maybe a tinge of electric blue sky eye shadow

Upon her lids so purple anemones and fishy floshy swishy

He kissed her gallantly

Like a knight in silver, shining armour

Beneath the luminous crescent moon orb

Sailing silvery and glowing full with glee

At the two forsaken lovers

 

And said to her even though she did not understand

 A word of the strange language he spoke

Yet she nodded obeying as if she comprehended

The depth and intensity of his candour

As he requested and beseeched desperately

"Wilt thou marry me 

My pretty ebony mermaiden

With raven black hair and brown golden eyes of beryl beads

I shall look after you as my fishy mermaiden wife

As dutifully and loyally a sailor fisherman husband

Incomparable to any living human being or mermen

Of the buffeting waves of the tumultuous sea 

Rocking high above my wooden boat

If only you stay in my straw hut by the shore

Hidden under the shade of the tall coconut palms

So nicely dark and silhouetted by the setting sun"

 

The ebony mermaiden kissed him back with ardour sweet

Reciprocating his true love

Stealing a passionate kiss on the rocking wooden boat

She seldom minded being caught in his dreamy boat

That now the sailor fisher man sailed

Using his strong sinewy arms

With oars like a drama unfolds in circles

Stroking wave by wave, up and down the blustery seas

In motion and full emotions of rapture and glee

Silver and gold of the shiny reflecting sun's arrows

Showcased down below the silvery, shivery sea so grey and cold indeed!

Sailing it like a dream with his golden oars happily

 

Finally he arrived upon the shore

Emptying his woven cane basket and silver net filled with fishes

He caught along with the pretty mermaiden

With raven black hair 

And eyes of golden brown beryl beads

Of the silvery caressing waves 

Of the shore

And lifting her in his strong arms

Carried her right to the threshold of the open straw hut door

Then silently he placed her on his straw bed

Though soft and cushiony with straw

And gunny

He sheltered her from the brewing storms

Where once she dwelled in the waves of the curling seas 

'Furore Furore'

In a cradle of petals he'd strewed 

All around her

Growing wildly around the simple straw hut

In numbers and figures amply amongst blades of long green grass

Yellow, pink, blue, purple and orange petals of Geraniums

Beneath the well shaded tall coconut trees

 

Then in his little tub he filled

Generously with water

And bathed the beautiful ebony mermaiden

With raven black hair and eyes of golden brown beryl beads

Rubbed her with a warm towel of terry cloth

Combed and braided her raven black hair in long plaits

He dressed her in a flowing, transparent sheer fabric

Made of crystalline knit gauze

He so preciously had woven for one day gifting the ebony mermaiden

With gleaming crystals he found under shore beds

He looked after her like a husband should

Giving her everything she ever wished for

Till she saw her face glow in her mermaid's mirrors

That had seven mirrors reflecting her heart's desires

Lest she felt uncared without her precious waves

Where she lived far beneath the sea

 

She stood loyally by his side even though fishy tails 

And promised her sailor fisherman husband

She'd never return back again but live with him forever

His humble dwellings beside

The sandy turf and tide

Yet took a lot of her time

Performing her duties of a house-wife mermaiden

Never at all or even once neglecting her husband

The sailor fisherman's needs and wishes

Mending buttons, cleaning pots and pans

And even learnt cooking strange fishes

In frying skillets on griddles

With a touch of paprika and sand

 

Through the passing hours and minutes

The sailor felt he was blessed to have

A beautiful ebony mermaiden of the silvery waves

Beyond the blue sea

With eyes of golden brown beryl beads and black raven hair

Blowing like the billowy sea

He mastered the knack of giving her 

A bit of sea and sand too

And taking her on rides on his 

Little cart hiding well her tails

Inside a blanket of coir though

Such that none witnessed the magic

He lived for soulfully

A loyal and true fishy mermaiden of the waves

Of the furious, battering seas!

 

Then one fine day a little boy sighted

What no one else saw

That indeed the mermaiden with raven black hair

And eyes of beryl golden brown beads

Was a fish lady of the sea and no human being

Thence from one ear it distributed to the next ear

And so on and so forth

Propaganda arose in the fish village

And also amongst the sodden city

So ominous and cursed

All hankering to see the fisherman sailors

 Pretty wife with raven black hair

And eyes of gold beryl beads

Of the waves in the billowy seas

 

However the sordid story was yet to unfold

Alas! When one day the ebony mermaiden in her tub

Took her warm bath with soap studs, smelling salts and soothing herbs

And her little hut house of straw

Was invaded by the riotous tempest in a tea cup

Of course not of the lashing waves in the sea

They knocked and barged through the door

Of the poor sailor fisherman

Wildly and furiously

And demanded she be put forth

Before the 'kein' and 'qein'

Why I say thus for King and Queen

As 'kein' and 'qein'

For they were far from royal true blood

A King and Queen

And voted for disharmony and bad conduct

To be the commandments of their evil city

 

They 'kein' and 'qein'

Queer and crooked

Settled for the poor sailor fisher man's 

Heart, a knife wedged deep between

That if he not return her back to the sea where she belonged

She would be killed at the stakes

As they deemed her sorceress of the beguiling waves

Of the tempestuous seas

The sailor would not wish for this

Till as long as he lived

And decided he one day

To sail her in his wooden boat

Far as he could row right to the middle of the sea

His precious dear heart

Now both in twain beat together as one

He be rather dead and drown with the ebony mermaiden

With black raven hair

And eyes of golden brown beryl beads

Than live without his bride of the sea

 

And when he wished her goodbye

And told her to swim away

Little knowing that she would spend her

Loving golden brown beryl beaded eyes

And black raven hair

With longing looking at her 

Darling sailor fisherman

Thinking he would row away

But what she already knew

And guessed she rightly

Like the waves that pummelled

Down the silent sea that night

Her silvery knight in shining armour

Alas! Lost courage and took plunge beneath

Waves of the blue blue sea

 

But for his unhappiness she did reward him sleep

And took him with a magic word

"Shall thy heavy heart now rest with the

Blue waves of the sea"

Beneath the magic fathomless reef

The sleeping sailor fisherman

Now awoke his handsome eyes

Beneath the mystery reef

Where in a castle 

With his charming ebony mermaiden

With black raven hair

And eyes so golden, brown beryl beads

Was he her precious merman Knight

Swishing along two tails handsomely

 

The people above the cruel and unenlightened land

Where dwelled the evil and benighted 'kein' and 'qein'

Thought the poor sailor that disappeared

Would never hence be seen

The antagonist 'kein' and his 'qein'

Concluded he was doomed to reprobation

Alas! Woe be he an unfortunate being!

But what they never knew

Now the curling waves of the silent sea

Whispered and murmured

Indeed had got a true King and Queen

What humans never deserved to see!

The ebony mermaid with black raven hair

Eyes of brown golden beryl beads

Her sailor fisherman husband

And waves unfurling of the silent seas!

Sometimes seething, rolling, gnashing, curling

                   Tempestuously!