The Lovely Echo

Round and Round, I heard a swirling sound

a swish and a splash, a giggle and a laugh

So I followed the forest path,

through an ancient gate, made of stone.

Two carved gods of the sea,

glaring down at me…

still I passed,

desperate

to quench my curiosity.

I could sense enchantment all around,

from the maiden hair on the rocks

to the ferns unfurling as I walked,

steady but slow

dying to know,

what was going on below…

Winding down the serpentine steps

I was kissed by a mist from the depths

of a shimmering emerald pool.

And there at the edge in the shade of a vine,

tail and net forever entwined,

sat the lovely Echo.

“Do not be afraid, we’ve met before…

when you were three and I was four.

I tried to break you free,

but you got away from me.

You told me your name, before you escaped…

I looked for you in every ocean and lake.”

She smiled but did not remember,

explaining how her net became part of her,

“I do not think of it as a burden, only an accessory

it reminds me over and over again, that I am free.”

I liked the twist she made of fate,

and told her again, my name was Kate.

~Christine Wichman c. February 3, 2019

Gates to the Mermaid Kingdom

The Emerald Pool

The Lovely Echo

Musical pairing: The Pool by Tori Amos