Mermaid Cafe
Last week I was indulging in my new musical obsession with Girl Singers, specifically those of the Jazz / Blues genre, when I came across Sara Gazarek’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s Carey. The second verse starts:
Come on down to the Mermaid Café and I will buy you a bottle of wine
And we’ll laugh and toast to nothing and smash our empty glasses down
Let’s have a round for these freaks and these soldiers, A round for these friends of mine
In high school my twin sister and her best friend adopted the Mermaid as a kind of totem, based somewhat on the story Where Do the Mermaids Stand?
When I heard this song I was reminded that even though they grow-up, mermaids they still remain. Those teen-aged girls who became strong, beautiful and compassionate women, they never forget that they are mermaids, even when the reality of being adults feels like it will drag the beauty and joy out of belief.
When you go about the business of your world today, keep a look out for mermaids. They can be found in the most unusual of places.
How beautiful. All of this.