Myths and Mermaids and the Idea of Progress

I first found her outside a gift shop near Ogunquit Maine

held against her will, just another item for sale:

Turned to stone by the sleight-of-hand of market forces

acting on orders from the patriarchal gods of progress. 

I was able to rescue her, summoning the power of Photoshop:

Capturing her with my magic wand and

gently moving her back home to Her rightful throne

upon an enchanted cliff overlooking the sparkling sea.

Liberated, she now ponders anew the primacy 

of Myth and the true Mystery of the Universe

as the oceans inexorably rise around her

 –a final gift from the the gods of progress– 

drowning human conceits and artifacts,

along with Humankind itself.