The Little Mermaid: 21 poems and deep sea novelties

Poem Sampler 01 Ft. Sylvia Plath, David Ly, Tracy K. Smith

Poetry, while not as wildly popular when it comes to the literary arts as romance novels and thrillers, still excel above all other forms in one specific arena: At major serious events like presidential inaugurations and royal coronations. (That and they are supremely adaptable and hard to kill, surviving empires and inventions come and gone.) When you want to commemorate something, you write a poem, read a poem, give a poem, share a poem. I, neither president nor king nor in the circle of any such person, have no serious events to attend to. But this week is the release of the live action version of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the pre-influencer era influencer of my childhood. Which means, Y2K’s comeback is morphing into full-on mermaid core this summer, a wave of nostalgia for anyone who grew up during the heyday of the Disney princess marketing machine. Bring on the seashells, seashores, other world longings, and language as shimmering portals into depths familiar yet unseen.

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You’re reading Violets, where poetry is an adventure through music, fashion, art, film, and the www (a.k.a. the world, wide and wonderful).

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And so, I present to you a sampler of poems I’d recommend to Ariel and her mermaid alter-egos outside the world of Disney, including the (original) version where she disintegrates into sea foam. There are poems by award-winning poets and people with day jobs who write poetry on the side. There are poems about immigration and poems about waiting for love. There are poems about gizmos and poems about escape. Think of this less like a deep dive and more like a teaser to get you in the mood—whether for more poetry, or for all your mermaidcore dreams.

Instructions for use: None. Prerequisites: None. Sample one poem, or sample them all.

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Poem Tracklist

1. Dawn Will Usher Me

   Juan Felipe Herrera

2. Finisterre

   Sylvia Plath

3. Witnessing

   Tiffany Morris

4. Self Portrait as Ocean Bed

   S. Rupsha Mitra

1. How to Spot a Mermaid

   Emily Fox

2. Television (from the collection, Durable Goods)

   James Pollock

3. First Time

   Reina Maria Rodriguez

4. Catalogue of Ephemera

   Rebecca Lindenberg

1. Caged Bird (from the collection, Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing?)

   Maya Angelou

2. Waiting For Your Call

   Aria Aber

3. Same Ocean (from the collection, Dream of Me As Water)

   David Ly

4. The Journey (from the collection, No Voyage and Other Poems)

   Mary Oliver

5. A Little Closer to the Edge (from the collection, Night Sky With Exit Wounds)

   Ocean Vuong

6. Truth Is I Would Like to Escape Myself

   Nour Al Ghraowi

7. Wade in the Water (from the collection, Wade in the Water)

   Tracy K. Smith

1. The Lake Has Swallowed the Whole Sky (from the collection, The Secret History of Water)

   Silvia Curbelo

2. Asteres Planetai

   Amal Eh-Mohtar

3. Thoughts from the Drowning Girl (via

   SWWIM Every Day
   )

   Annie Przypyszny

4. Underwater

   Jill Michelle

5. Fairy Tale with Laryngitis and Resignation Letter

   Jehanne Dubrow

6. Voiceover

   Rita Dove

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Bonus Tracks a.k.a. Expanding Violets

• Read: The Original Little Mermaid by novelist Amber Sparks in The Paris Review

• Smell: 6 aquatic fragrances by

  The Dry Down

THE DRY DOWN SIX: AQUATICS

• Make/Shop: These oyster ring dishes via Pinterest (Beckys obsession)

• Look: Still in prototyping stage but Japanese filmmaker Oto Kawamata is working on a curtain that makes your room look like it’s underwater