Tuesday Poem - 'The First Chorus' - Catherine Bateson

The First Chorus

We saw her longing and knew her lost.

Oh little sister, would you leave us for a man?

What has he, that we can’t offer –

come, let us braid your hair

let us sing together

swaying like soft weed to the songs

that loop and flow, ribbons of seduction

velvet handcuffs we lock

each of us fast to the other.

Why would you leave us,

little lost note

in our loving harmony?

We reach for you

but you evade our pale fingers

as though they were sticky tentacles.

This is from a poetry sequence, 'Learning to Tango' which takes a new look at the story of the Little Mermaid. It will be published later this year in the second Tales from the Tower Anthology, gathered by Isobelle Carmody and Nan McNab, Allen & Unwin.  The first anthology, The Wilful Eye, was published earlier this year. 

The poem I've posted here is the first chorus of the little mermaid's sisters. I wanted them to have a collective voice punctuating this sequence which is also written in the voices of the wicked enchantress, the little mermaid and the prince. 

You can read the Tuesday Poem hub here and access other tuesday poems from this site. In particular, check out this one for a continuation of the fairy tale theme.