NaPoWriMo 2016

Day 20 - Marshmaid

April 20
Prompt: A "Marshmaid" is a mythological creature that I made up. She exists in no other mind but my own. However, I want you to describe her. Think swamps and gators, and crawdads... And for you Aussies, you might want to think crocs. Be original... she can be creepy, or beautiful, or important to that type of environment. So many directions you can go with on this.

Marshmaiden
With your hair of silken glory
Bound and twisted with twigs and swamp grass.
Your eyes wide with wonder
glaze over
As your third eyelid slips across your view
Clearing the mud that has slid down your brow.
A webbed hand moves with regal grace
To remove the excess
That threatens to drop
And spatter the churning brown water
That is your home.
A gator slides into the river
Slow and provoking
But you ignore him
His threats are empty
And though he makes an attempt to catch you off guard
You and he both know you will best him
But he persists hoping one day to find your weakness.
Your laugh rises up as you feel him pass
Leaving ripples in the glades
You smile and I hear bird song
As you slip back under the marshy waters
This glance, brief but potent
Holds me bound
And I hold my breath wondering if you will return
Or if it was merely my imagination
Playing with the shadows along the Bayou.

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