The Village of the Mermaids, by MEH

The Village of the Mermaids, by Paul Delvaux (Belgium). 1942.

 
The Village of the Mermaids
1942, Oil on panel
Paul Delvaux
 
Those who cross the sea change the sky, not their souls ~ Horace
 
it’s there: above ankles crossed
beneath home-school dresses,
her folded hands conceal secrets
aligned at right angles. but
 
as her eyes implore the middle
distance between a compromise
and insignificance, her ears catch
the liquid shifting— a past
 
just beyond the stillness
she can’t let go.
 
for Rachel

MEH

MEH is Matthew E. Henry, a Pushcart nominated poet with works appearing in publications including Brick Rhetoric, Kweli Journal, Poetry East, Rhino, Spillway, and Syntax. He’s a high school teacher who spends money he doesn’t have on way too many advanced degrees in various content areas.