She’ll take you too far
Don’t entertain the mermaid
Breathing down your neck

Lest you find yourself
In the belly of the whale
That you’ve befriended

He’ll smile “Welcome home”
That mermaid will be there too
With tea and kelp cakes

Next comes surgery
To retro-fit you with gills
Now you’re one of them

You’ll live in the depths
Meet with the surf and shores, then
Teach sonar to schools

But you could also
Not entertain the mermaid
Breathing down your neck