Selkie (The Daughter of the Ocean)

I

When I saw
the foaming seas
lapping at your
ankles, I felt the
ebb of the ocean
itself

swelling beneath
my ribs.

Belong to me.

II

Salt rumoured your every
kiss;

the sweet breath of
a distant sea breeze

caressed us both
as we slept.

Where do you gaze
at night so longingly?

III

I was your anchor,
you were my captor.

For years you unearthed and forgave
every secret that I'd harboured.

What else do you seek
at night so longingly?

IV

When I saw
the foaming seas
lapping at your
ankles, I felt the
ebb of the ocean
itself

swelling beneath
my ribs.

Long for me.

--

"If you find her upon
dry land; steal her skin,
and take her hand.

She will be yours until
the day she finds the skin
you took away.

And will return without
question from whence she
came. You will never see
her again.

No matter how deep your
love may seem, a Selkie's
home is out at sea."

--

Inspired by the therianthropic Selkie, meaning "seal folk". Able to morph into a human by shedding their skin, there are stories of Selkies, particularly females, being bound romantically to whomever stole their seal-skin. If the Selkie was able to discover her lost seal-skin, she would return to the ocean, never to be seen again.