by Nilanjana Bose

Created on: June 14, 2010   Last Updated: December 28, 2011

What fairies and what wood nymphs?

Not one came by my door

Never caught even a single glimpse

Of mermaids playing on the shore.

Agreed, the door wasn’t likely to draw

Creatures of the woods or the sea

To abandon their realms and forego

Imagined webs of luxury.

Much was made of the seas and woods

Much made of their froth and foam

The rest classified as shoddy goods

To be returned to the shop where they came from.

The froth broke up, the foam dispersed,

Tucked in the woods the wood nymphs stayed;

The goods however were untucked and stirred,

And picked over again and displayed.

No polished brass hasp to add to the door

No ivory knocker to entice

Nymphs or mermaids to make a detour,

But it’s done, and it will suffice.

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