Sorrow engulfs me, like a treacherous current
Dragging the unwary swimmer out to sea.
The harder the struggle, the tighter the grip
Until, at last, weary, I sink into the murky depths.

On the surface all that can be seen is a gentle ripple
No sign of the maelstrom that lurks unsuspected
Beneath the calm, no warning message of danger
In the bright glint of sunlight, dancing on the waves.

I spread my trust like a blanket on the sand
And paddled my toes in the shallow waters of hope
Gaining courage with each forward step, to enter
The deeper waters of life - beckoning like a tantalising dream.

But mermaid songs, sent to enchant the sorry sailors
And draw them to destruction on hidden spikes of rock
Also gather me in a web of betrayal and deceit
Changing glorious psalms into devils cacophony.

Joy fleeing on the back of raucous, wheeling gulls
Fighting over scraps of sandwich and fish heads,
Leaving me, not empty, no! Never that numbness
But full of deep, dark, dreary desolation.

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