She wanted to run with the mermaids

It was an odd wish

Not a high school sport

Or rec center activity

She worked on her grades

Composed herself to be respected

The water was always too cold

The dresses too tight

Her hair too short

But she thought about it every night

Flipped through pictures of the seas

She thought of the boats in harbor glistening

The lights at dawn

She was on the fringes

On a Sunday morning she went to the coastline

Strangely not far from the cobblestone

Or from the coffeehouse, her school, or her home

She laced her shoes, wore a hoodie and shorts

In the brisk air

She let down her thick short hair

To see the harbor lights

Maybe see something exquisite

She jogged the boardwalk

Over the sidewalk chalk

Peeking at the water

In the moonlight

A fin pierced through

Almost butterfly shaped

She decided to wait

A dazzling tail bobbed up then down

Next a head of long, flowing hair

When the sea creature turned around

The girl on the water’s edge was a little afraid

She laughed and said, “It’s you!”

Her best friend, the mermaid, swam around in her wetsuit and said, “Your dreams came true – you’re running with a mermaid!”