A PARABLE

The mermaid loosed her tongue against another, a twittering songbird in a fragrant tree. The mermaid loosed her tongue as if she were extending claws to swipe, as if craving warm blood. In her sleep, a vision. A tangle of thorns encircling the songbird. Doves’ rank, rotted plumage. Maggot-infested eagles, wings and beaks, clipped. Lawin’s crusty, milky eyes. Herons’ open sores, overcome with infection.

 

Diwata came to the mermaid, stroked her thick, night-black hair. Do not fear, for one day the songbird will trill in a palace of pearls and summer seashells. And the mermaid breathed a sigh, lulled to sleep by the song of the ocean breeze.