Shell

I spent that fateful summer by the sea
To bask in healing brine, and sun, and sand
I winnowed windblown treasures from debris
And wound through every thread of that fair strand

One evening as I wove among the waves
My silent footfalls just beyond their reach
I heard the sound that draws men to their graves
A siren's lullaby caressed the beach

Unreasoning, I strove into the tide
My yearning heart propelled me toward the deeps
And on the reef, there crooned Neraeos' bride
Appalling beauty, perched on bony heaps

She smiled at me with hunger in her eyes
And flashed her pearly, crimson-tinted fangs
She sang an irresistable reprise
My heart was drowned in ardor's burning pangs

Then suddenly, my rush came to a halt
My foot, a crack or giant clam had gripped
She shrilly keened, redoubling her assault
In agony my soul in twain was ripped

I must have bobbed unmindful for some hours
And woke to quiet darkness in the shoals
Then worked to loose my foot with all my powers
Now warmth and solid land my only goals

A decade hence, I live in solitude
I dare not draw a mate into this hell
My soul is with the siren's song imbued
And my once-loving heart an empty shell

Penned by my hand on the 3rd of Daedalan, in the year 508 AF.