Duality

Feeling a bit like a mermaid...
I lie on my back,
stretching the soreness out of overworked muscles.
I raise my bare legs
to press my lower back flatter against the floor,
and the curves of my calves are a tail,
my toes, the perfect tailfin...
I wiggle them,
giggle.

My inversion causes the hem of my skirt
to slip higher up my thighs,
and I make a half-hearted attempt
to tug it back to an appropriate position.
I drift in my thoughts,
imagining the water surging around me,
my hair floating,
my tail propelling me upward,
toward the light.
I breathe out slowly,
then right myself.
I see the stack of sea shells,
and half-smile.
Mermaids wear seashells, I think,
and slide them into my hand,
coolly clicking against each other
as they drop into my bag.