Mermaid Poem by Gilbert Ortega

I can't say I've ever been poisoned by love
Like you have
I've never crashed and burned so bad
Don't know what that's all about
But I'd like to find out

And now a million words in
I still don't know where to begin
'Cause you're just so hard to read
I would love to get through

I heard that song that you were listening to
That made you cry, made you blue
But, it didn't speak to me like it did to you
Don't know what it's about
But I'd like to find out

And just like the mermaid stranded on the distant shore
How, if you saved her, she'd sing to you for evermore
I'd like to see her comb the white crests on the waves
While I listen to her sing my fears away

But in this world where luck belongs to scoundrels
She would rather sing to those who only pass her by
Just as I sing to you every time you say goodbye

If you were that mermaid on the beach
Would it be my hand for which you'd reach
Or, would you only sing if I walked on down
Past the waves and into the sea to drown