Simon Kaeppeli is a scientist and writer. His work has appeared in Better Than Starbucks, Spark to Flame, 50-Word Stories, Down in the Dirt, and Discretionary Love, among others. He recently moved to Scotland with his two senior cats.
I have always been fascinated with different portrayals of sirens in Greek mythology and modern depictions. I interpreted the siren as more of a lurking predator than a languid seductress for this poem. While the words themselves may still invoke the image of the classical siren, I used short line lengths to make the poem progress quickly, reminiscent of fast and unpredictably moving ocean waves. I think of sirens as both laying in wait for their prey while hiding from a world that is as alien to them as theirs is to us.
