By: Goutam Roy

Iara dwells
in the mysterious realm
of the Amazon,
where deep forests
shadow the restless river
and hidden currents
whisper beneath the green.
In her youth,
trained in the art of the sword,
she turned against
her own kin
and killed those
who were near and dear.
For this,
she was condemned to death
and cast into the river.
Yet the river did not claim her.
Its enchanted depths
received her,
and she rose again—
transformed into a mermaid,
with exquisite beauty
and a voice
more alluring than the moon
upon the water.
She sings to fishermen
from the shadowed banks,
drawing them nearer
with her irresistible song.
One by one,
they vanish
into the secret depths,
carried to her hidden abode.
No one can tell
whether they are dead
or still alive
beneath the green waters.
Perhaps beauty
has thorns
sharp enough to sting
the hungry heart.
Perhaps desire itself
is a hidden predator,
waiting to pierce
the soul that willingly
comes too close.
Perhaps men, enchanted
by the promise of beauty,
choose to drown
in their own ocean of hemlock.