Young Sirens

Twitter: If you had a mermaid phase as a kid

you’re probably bisexual now

How did I not understand

when I swam with my ankles

crossed to make a fin

or when I asked

my friend to touch my arm,

my skin? She wrote love you xo

on my ribcage in black pen.

All summer we hid

in my family’s camper

behind the daisy curtains

and it wasn’t a sin

when she put her lips

on me and said,

I’m new to this. I’m all in.

All summer we kept finding

more reasons to wear less.

Together we walked

into the saltwater,

hand in hand, said,

We’d be better with fins. All

summer we sang to each other.

Her body against my body,

and when the boys, who were

cruel to starfish,

slipped into our waters

we hissed—said,

Only mermaids deserve this.

And our parents couldn’t

see us because we were

a friendship amid shells and

how we held each other

in front of everyone and

no one ever guessed.