Restless in sea foam
the mermaids sing,
serenade
tangled in kelp
a summer song
cajoling sailors,
windrush them
into the surf
into ebb tide
into bitter brine
to be lost forever
in the ocean’s grip
immersed in tears
they sleep,
reposing at peace
deep in a seagull’s call.
Mikhail Vrubel
Today Merrell inspire us at dVeres with a number of rose names and challenge us to incorporate at least three of them into a poem.
May 5, 2026
Björn Rudbergs writings 
You set the scene so well in those first 6 lines! Made use of the rose names very very well! I fear the mermaids have shapeshifted (or sound shifted?) into sirens!
yes, and they are a bit the same to me.
This is deliciously dark, Bjorn! The words from the list blend in and work so well together especially; “a summer song cajoling sailors, windrush them into the surf into ebb tide.”
I love a mermaid poem! 🥰
So many names seemed to point at mermaids
Yes! 🙂
We both wrote about mermaids, Björn! I love sounds in these lines:
‘windrush them
into the surf
into ebb tide
into bitter brine’
and the thought of ‘reposing at peace deep in a seagull’s call’.
Thank you… I will get around to read yours too.
The allure of the mermaid, has been the ruin of many a sailor’s fare. Great poem!
Thank you… and yes ot is the myth… (or maybe just blaming the women)
I expected you to write dark, and you did not disappoint, Björn! I should have remembered you like mermaids and these as Lillian said have become sirens. I like the tactile and sensory elements of the kelp and seagulls call.
I am more familiar with the darker mermaid (or siren)…
The sirens of Greek myth were bird-women, but I know people tend to think of sirens as mermaids.
read with sadness for the sailors “deep in sesgulls call”
much love
oo beware the sirens song, sailor. a salty one this.
Well done Bjorn! Excellent use of the rose names.
I love this naval journey and how it smuggled in the roses! Jae
You make it believable!
Wonderful ♥️
Love the ebb and flow of this poem, lots of contrast!
The last two lines acts as redemption of the tragedy.
I love how you capture the ancient, predatory allure of the ocean – evoking a mood of cold, watery stillness
💙
Sail on, sailors. Sweetly strolling and the three roses are hidden well in the tide.
Wow, this is so powerful. I hear the seagull’s call like a Greek chorus – they and the ocean witnessed it all.
Love the art you chose, perfect pairing with the poem, every wonderful line.
This dark little sea-myth has me curious about the stories of mermaids and how they’ve been humanised with beauty in modern day culture (that I’m aware of), but on deeper thinking why would they be so pleasant. You’ve got my thinking and looking things up Björn!
Excellent writing, Björn, and your choice of image is fabulous.
Lovely. As usual, I came late to this challenge…
At rest in a seagull’s call – somewhat of an ongoing screech! Beware the mermaid!
You chose many of the same words as Sanaa but did something so different with them, Björn, bravo… That is the wonder of the pub…
Ooh, this is darkly delicious ! As a sailor’s wife I would rather believe mermaids and sirens are a figment of imagination!
Ah yes, beware the wiles of the sirens, they’re deadly …
I love poems about mermaids!
This caught me:
“reposing at peace
deep in a seagull’s call.”
The art work complements your poem.