There are a lot of odd little stories about mermaids from all around the world.
This week’s poem refers to the story of a mermaid who is killed by boys throwing rocks at her after they damage her tail. The poem suggests that the label monster ought to be applied more on the basis of actions than on the basis of appearance.
A version of this story can be found at this link, described as the Benbecula Mermaid. Benbecula is one of the Outer Hebrides Islands. In the story, the mermaid is actually much smaller than any of the accompanying photos would suggest. In fact she is miniature, child-sized, but otherwise built like a woman with the lower half of her body that of a salmon.
One of the points made in this story is that she doesn’t have scales, as a salmon would have, which seems like an odd point to bring up. However, in some stories about mermaids, it is the lost scales which, when found, allow humans to have control over the mermaid.
The Mermaid’s Grave
It’s always the rowdy boys with their stones.
Throwing. Hitting. Or hoping to hit.
Somersaults I turned, entertaining the ladies.
Sweetening. Charming. Or hoping to charm.
My little tail like a salmon’s–
but without those pesky scales
that drop everywhere and risk
betraying one’s presence–
was bruised, nay destroyed,
by their so-called fun and games.
It’s always so easy, afterward, to mourn.
But no one punishes the boys. The rogues.
Which makes them sound cute. It’s easy to bury
uncomfortable truth. Walk away. You monsters.
This is one in a series of poems based on mermaids, mermen, mer-creatures, and associated myths. Here’s another in the series: Sirens. For more reading about this topic, check out The Penguin Book of Mermaids, or just hopscotch around the internet.
If you enjoyed The Mermaid’s Grave
You’ll find more of my poems on this blog or in the collection Stars Crawl Out From Their Caves, which is available in both ebook and print.
Missed a poem of the week? Links to prior weeks are on this page.