A Mermaid's Song

As I walked on a lonely beach, I thought I spied a Mermaid-- But no, it couldn't be, I thought. Yet, drawing near, I saw it was a Mermaid sunning on a rock. Her back, I saw, and fins. as I looked on in shock. She couldn't see me as I crept forward, hid and watched Her hair, like spun gold, blew gently in Summer's breeze. Her skin, an opalescent green-- by that, I mean there were mingled hues of peridot and opal creating a soft sea green. and, when she moved, created opal's fire amid her sheen Her hands were webbed but versatile and I could only stare as she braided sunbeams in her hair. She began to hum which soon became a song she sang the music haunting, yet nestled deep were sounds of waves kissing shore-- music I longed to keep. Her song reached a crescendo as sea waves crashed. A moment only, I turned and glanced at the sea. When I looked back, she had disappeared... into a memory. I found a pebble she had left of iridescent green--a gift. All along, she knew I watched. Often, at dusk, I walk the lonely sands and search for her. I listen for her song... but she has gone.