To the Men who Take Selkies for Wives

Written by Heather Meatherall

you only ever saw her

as something to claim

to tame

a creature to capture

and carry your name

you thought you could change her

calm her wild ways

and make her mortal

you thought you could take her magic

and make it your own

but what you don’t know

is her magic

is not stored in her skin

it's in her blood and her bones

it's bound to her very soul

it's not something you can take

or break

or lock away

the ocean is not so easily contained

and given enough time

water will erode even the strongest of steel

she has a power

you were never meant to wield