My mother was beautiful once
Beautiful, they said.
Her eyes would pierce everyone’s heart
And her hair would sweep them off deck.

Her suitors brought gold,
And drowned her in hearts.
But they never met her standards
Although we still don’t know what they are.

My mother was wise once,
They said she knew grief and loss
They said her heart was dark
But no one knew the cause

My mother was in love once,
She told me, in a dream
Her heart belonged to someone
Whose skin was dark, it seemed.

I asked my mother why,
She never married her love.
And if his dark face,
Was why her dark heart throbbed.

My mother was beautiful once
Beautiful, they said.
Maybe she is still beautiful
Resting in a deep sea bed.