Mourning Siren by Joni Caggiano 

Was she hatched in smoky vapors of opium from a mystical brazen beast

She saunters like dated brown molasses dripping gentle, tuneful notes

Her parasol held skyward hollowed out, but its sturdy frame holds at least

Thick and tall the fedora upon her head, amid dwindled tapestry pale blue

Glorious her face such splendor only aroused by daring dreams of sailors

Her elongated body would float through the village where subtle sounds flew

Never a word uttered disappearing into the shadows of battles won and lost

Comprised of secrets shared in village corners amongst murky moments gone

Stateliness intact though armless she was the heartfelt spirit of the painful cost

Strolling for centuries where silence fell on stone buildings as she kissed the night

Salty tears fell gently stinging scars where rubble once lay waste on bodies raw

Her songs soared penetrating boundaries and sadness bringing forth moonlight

Mist draped low upon the river bank which echoed in the silence once found

Mildew skulking about like Spanish moss adorning trees with long brown hair

Withdrawing for decades, villagers summoned her, knowing she will come around

Prompting the old of days prior where loss and war filled graves of distant kin

She fancied the beast where she dwelt, for, with humans, no one seemed to win

Photo courtesy of the author

Joni Caggiano is a self-published author of the book, “The Path Toward the Light.”  Her blog is the-inner-child.com, where she has published many poems, photography, and short stories. Her blog is an effort to give back as a survivor as an Adult Child of Alcoholics and to also write about things she feels matter in this world we live in today.  She started writing songs and poetry at the age of thirteen and have been writing ever since.  

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