i will make a mermaid of her:

i will whisper
of lips
of red eyelashes

of the freckles around her coral mouth

as if all the things in the ocean
conspired to make her face
a beautiful sad diagonal
swaying in the undertow,

a soft sea gaze
floating in a moving tangle of amber seaweed

she will fix her eyes to yours like barnicles
and her skin will dip and slide beneath yours
full of sea-fruits and salty promises

you will see her for as long as you can hold your breath

when you surface
still tasting red honey
you'll remember her tongue
swimming slowly
like a sleepy pink fish
as she tried to mouth something to you
under water