Myrna the Mermaid

Myrna Mae Miller loved playing outside,
On the swings, monkey bars, and the big twirly slide
She loved to climb trees, ride her bike, shout, and sing
But swimming was by far her favourite thing!
When summertime came, Myrna was overjoyed
For at long last, t'was time for what she most enjoyed!
When the bright, blazing sun graced the sky, without fail,
She'd get out her swimsuit, towel, shovel, and pail,
For Myrna loved swimming, and building sandcastles,
But getting her home was a heck of a hassle!

When her family went to the pool or the beach,
Her folks always gave her the very same speech:
"Go play in the water, swim, splash, have a ball,
But always remember to come when we call,
If you don't, we won't come back, no matter how hot!"
But nevertheless, Myrna always forgot.
For, she'd have so much fun, she'd get carried away,
And for just five more minutes, she'd beg them to stay.

"Please, Mother, please, Father, just five minutes more,
One more moment of sunshiny bliss I implore
You to grant me. For the time here goes by far too fast,
And our swimming excursions, they never do last.
Let me run up and down, and splash, dive, and play,
And pretend I'm a mermaid, for one magical day!"

Myrna's folks were indulgent, it was hard to say no,
So even if they were both anxious to go,
A sad-puppy face was all that it took,
And Myrna, once more, would be let off the hook.
But one fateful day, Mom and Dad said "No more!"
And despite Myrna's pleas, they sternly implored,
"We've stayed long enough, and the sun is now setting,
And back home for dinner, we need to be getting!
Now, get in the car, or we'll leave you behind!"
But she didn't believe they would be that unkind.
So bold little Myrna tested out their decree,
And told her folks, "Fine, you can leave without me!"

So they'd know that she meant it, she jumped back in the water,
But as their backs turned from their impudent daughter,
Myrna cried out in panic as she felt something change,
For all of a sudden, her legs felt quite strange!
They'd become fused together, and covered with scales,
And her feet had turned into a sparkly tail.
No one could explain it, no one could tell why,
But right then and there, 'neath the dusky pink sky,
Myrna's wish had been granted, she could now swim forever,
And live with no rules or demands whatsoever!
For life as a mermaid would be such a blast,
And with her new tail, she could swim oh so fast!

Myrna dove 'neath the surface, and swam 'round and round,
And to her amazement, she suddenly found,
A clan of merpeople, who looked just like her,
She blinked a few times, just so she could make sure
Her eyes didn't deceive her. But when one of them spoke,
Myrna then knew for certain that this was no joke!

The father merperson asked "What brings you here?
Have you fled from the humans? Their knowledge we fear
Of our secret subculture, that lurks under the sea,
So you can join us, if you just promise me,
That you'll keep safe our secret, that you'll keep your lips sealed,
So our fellow merpeople will not be revealed,
To the humans, for they'll want to put us in zoos,
Such a beastly predicament, we'd never choose,
For our friends, or our enemies, so you must keep quiet,
If the humans found out, they would make such a riot!"

So Myrna agreed to the merfolks' condition,
And became their new daughter, of her own volition.
The mother merperson was gentle and kind,
And the brothers and sisters had brilliant minds!
For they all knew the sea like the backs of their hands,
And Myrna regaled them with tales from on land.
Of Christmases, birthdays, and family, and friends,
Of long summer days that seemed never to end,
Of playing outside with her friends after dark,
Of the big twirly slide at the street-corner park.

As her stories progressed, Myrna started to cry,
And then, for some reason, she didn't know why,
She missed her old life, and her family too,
And she didn't quite know what she needed to do,
So she went to the mother mermaid, with her query,
Who responded to her, "All you need to do, dearie,
Is close your eyes tightly, and wish from your heart,
And then, from our watery world, you'll depart.
Your tail will be gone, and your legs will return,
But I hope this adventure has helped you to learn,
To be kind to your parents, and abide by their wishes,
If you don't want to live with the merfolk and fishes."

Said Myrna, "Ma Mermaid, you've been ever so kind,
And I wish that I didn't have to leave you behind.
I'll miss you and Pa Merman, and the children as well,
But you can be certain I never will tell
My terranean family of merfolk's existence,
And from now on, I'll go with them at their insistence,
When it's time to depart from the beach or the pool,
I will always obey my Mom and Dad's rules!"

"But Myrna," the Sister Mermaid interjected,
"As long as you keep our secret well-protected,
You can visit us merfolk, just by saying a prayer,
And wherever we are, you'll be transported there!"
At this, little Myrna was hugely relieved,
That the merfolk had a soft spot for all who believed,
So she took a deep breath, and squeezed her eyes closed,
And all of a sudden, to the surface she rose.
Her sparkly fins disappeared in a flash,
And on her familiar feet, Myrna dashed
Straight out of the water, to the family car,
For her parents and siblings had not yet gone far.
They'd been waiting for Myrna to make up her mind,
For, to leave her all night would be far too unkind!

So the family went home, with their now-reformed daughter,
Who now heeded her folks' calls, got out of the water,
When her family said it was time to go home,
But once in a while, Myrna still liked to roam
Back under the water, to the merpeople's lair,
For they'd always be happy when Myrna was there.
They'd splash, and they'd frolic, they'd giggle and smile,
But Myrna would visit just for a short while.
For Myrna the Mermaid knew deep in her heart,
That she was born human, so she'd have to depart,
And return to the family who'd raised her from birth,
For she'd found her true home undersea AND on earth.