An elegy for voices Ariel traded for legs

by Agwam Kessington

---

my boy, 
where I come from, life moltens;
we do not envy the presence of air.
my father said life lost meaning 
at the sight of the sands

but i disagree. 

for, your body, it reminds me of wars—
of times my father sank his trident 
into the chests of men who will
never visit home again.

my gills harden at the sight of you,
but note — I am not Ariel,
i will not fall for you. 
I will not trade my tail
for hairy fingerlings 

just to be with a man, 
who can one day,
choose another land maiden. 

but I admit, i regret culture 
for every moment I spend inside this water, 
craving the air in your lungs 

where at night, palm trees will dance
& under the sheets, our bodies will follow.

my boy, there is a rift between my tongue and pride
shuffling my heart, like a magician, before you, 
is pretty tricky 

& if it means having to watch you
at evenings 
while you load your boat

so be it. 

—but i will give you fish.

© Copyright Agwam Kessington

---

Agwam Kessington is a budding poet and an aggressive writer. He is the Author of the crime drama, Sons of Hades. When he’s not writing, he watches anime. You can find him on twitter, @TheAgwam

---

Read the Rest of the August Issue

• The Heart Sings A Siren by Ali Trotta
• A Nereid’s Guide to the Underworld by E. Catherine Tobler
• Depths by Thomas Jones
• Mammiwata Bay by David Ishaya Osu
• Only Circles in the Sea by Carlie St. George and Clare McCanna
• Twenty Thousand Last Meals on an Exploding Station by Ann LeBlanc
• An elegy for voices Ariel traded for legs by Agwam Kessington
• Dream by Mila Nowak
• mermaid life by Susmita Ramni
• Mystery of the Deep by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• more fat mermaids by Linda M. Crate
• Waking Dream by Kim Coleman Foote
• Honey and Vinegar and Seawater by Keyan Bowes
• They Will Try to Drain You by Valerie Herron
• The Sea King’s Second Bride by C. S. E. Cooney
• Self portrait as an ocean bed by S. Rupsha Mitra
• Mami-Wata by Tony Ogunlowo
• Underwater Eclipse by Cito Wheelington
• Loving the Other: Hans Christian Andersen and the evolution of mermaid romance in Wester media by Carrie Sessarego
• What Mother Failed to Mention About Dating a Mer-Man by LindaAnn Loschiavo
• I Want to Be Where the People Are: Disability and The Shape of Water by Elsa Sjunneson
• I Am Not Your Tragedy by Carlie St. George and Clare McCanna
• Canto for a Mermaid by William Heath