Mermaid

i remember how you slept -
one arm curled
around
the pillow,
tightly like a tendril

you were a slender
shape,
a soft breath
of air
asleep in the darkness
(or so it seemed)

but in your soul
you were a raging river

and slipped away
to chase elusive
downstream dreams

until the reflections
of another world
flickered
across your face

and you woke
with the taste
of the sea
still on your lips