Shadows & Dust [poetry]

Mermaid Magic Kisses

Beach-bound summers,

they buried one another's

legs and piled sandy mermaid

tails in their place. Sunblock

glittered like scales on their

skin, keeping them fish-belly

pale, like true creatures of

the deep. They whispered

mermaid magic secrets into

the nautilus shells of each

other's ears, that one kiss

from a mermaid permitted

you to breathe under the sea,

but only for as long as their

fickle heart remained true.

Their mirrors bloomed blue

glitter lip marks from all the

practice kisses, lip gloss

imbued with translucent

mica. It was a summer for

believing the impossible,

wishing and willing it true.