Into the earth I sink
Waves gently lapping at my toes
Soft grass cradles me 
Astounded once more by how water breathes 
And attempts to inhale me deeper in
With each great sigh of its ebb and flow 

Tiny feet skip across the shallow surface of the pond
Clinging to the jagged rock faces
Rising from the silt 
Giggles echo off the water
One girl cascades into the other 
They tumble into the water like river stones 
These Appalachian mermaids 

Their grandmother was a water witch 
She cursed them with a relentless craving 
A weakness to the siren’s call
A destiny of being drawn back
To claim once more the healings powers
Of their ancestral waters