Mermaid’s Lament



I look upon this netting,
Fine knots tied by careful hands.
It holds me in its silk embrace,
This lazy bondage in disguise.
I know the hands that tied this net,
My tired fingers know it well.
This knot is faith, this one love,
The silk threads snagged when I tied trust.
My fingers found hope to be
The most difficult to tie securely.

Your voice still echoes in this space,
Your soothing tone and lullaby.
Your poetry caressed my heart,
With promises overlooking time.
My fingers danced to your hopeful melody.
I wove my own captivity,
And lost myself in your refrain.

Your serenade seduced me happily.
Your voice so strong and words most certain,
My heart heard promises in every verse.
My ears remember feeling dreams,
And wonder how the chorus ends.

Now my nimble fingers stumble,
Unraveling my handiwork.
My hands are heavy and unsure,
Pulling at poetic threads.
So I untie my own clever net,
And set myself fearfully free.
I glance back over my weary shoulder
As I struggle with this silken prison.

My breath sits stonily in my lungs.
When will you notice the net undone?
Will your voice enchant me again?
Will your hands work with mine
To weave double knots,
Delicate, firmly tied?
A fine and strongly woven net
To hold no prisoners,
But secure our lives together warm and safe,
Two hearts wrapped in gossamer steel.
Fabric woven by four hands,
Accompanied by two voices,
To hold one shared life tenderly.



L. A. MacArthur