Proliferate under the stalagtites, in the darkness
Where she swims, the one with ALS
Through claustrophobic neurons and tree brain stems
The dripping calcium of a world turned upside down,
Where bats hang and tarantulas hide
And the water moves you as far as you let it go,
To the Mayan Gods still glowing in stone
Or the green ocean blessed with crocodiles
Or the secret cities where the ideal has been realized.
Such consequence would be nothing for the mermaid
Who flows with her camera like a vision,
Were it not for the brutal steps
To the world that doesn't comprehend,
Too full of themselves and compassion,
How fierce each step becomes up the wet planks,
As if no other bravery is needed.
The ones who disappeared don't let the living offer thanks,
For the old ways ended with the rituals.
This is new, the need to know, despite the curses
Abundant in these jungles, to never let the sacred
Waters of truth seep through.
