Mermaid Adolescence

I can’t breathe.
I never can breathe.

Not since my lungs
Have turned into gills

Not since my feet
Have mended together.

The water is not me.
I am not the water.

The faucet drips.
It disrupts my silence.

I think of singing
But my voice is not the same.

Instead of melodious
It produces a bang.

I close my eyes
I count the seconds.

Still no change.
I’m still the same.

A freak.
A weirdo.

There is no change.

Nobody understands.
Nobody can.

A freak.
A weirdo.

That’s what I am.

I swallow hard
The teary water.

The sobs that itch
To be released like thunder.

There is a knock.
The floorboards creek.

I pray, I pray
They do not see

That I’m abnormal.