A wary sea-crow sat on a boat
A space was in his heart –
An empty, aching space.
A nifty mermaid passing by
Espied the space his boat beside
And laughing said, “I’ll drop my hook
Beside this boat and see what loot
Perhaps I’ll gain in this ‘ere space.”
The ‘crow with beak and beady eye
Shook ruffled feathers when he spied
The nifty mermaid passing by –
And took another look!
A sticky cake was all it took
To lure the mermaid from her nook,
And soon the ‘maid did not know quite
What to do to hide the light
Kindled in her eyes one night –
It wasn’t right!
And yet she knew that ‘rightness’
Was the very thing – and fight it
As she might, the light came bright.
Every cup o’er filled with pain
Will spill its contents down the drain
Of life’s wretched, winding lanes.
Every space that’s empty must
Be filled again and just
When all seems dark and lost –
The sun will melt the frost.
© Sarita Armstrong 1985
MAY