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When We Were Mermaids
Two little girls, swimming, swimming
We’re mermaids, we’d say
Mermaids don’t wear bathing suits
So we pulled our tops down to our waists
We felt only freedom
Even after we got caught and scolded
Shame couldn’t thrive in those sunlit waters
Mermaids don’t have regrets
Dripping wet we’d hide in the hot shed
It smelled of warm chlorine and musty grass clippings
We’d practice kissing
It’s like kissing a marshmallow, I said the
first time
She laughed
We were still mermaids on land,
we’d say
We were each other’s first kiss, but it didn’t feel like it counted
We were too young
We’re just kissing mermaids, we’d say,
Ten years passed
Moonlit water shimmered around us
We’re still mermaids, we whispered,
just before we kissed again
This time it felt different…
