*

*

It was an archipelago in a silent sea

three larger islands and four smaller

seven being the favorite

number of mystics

*

On the first island lived a wizard

His specialty was convincing people

not to do what they wanted

He lived in a damp dugout

and only ate leftovers

*

On the second island lived a siren

banished there for her selfish ways

she sat on a rock, singing her siren song

but no ships ever sailed the silent sea

so she grew paler and paler until

only her song was left

*

On the third island lived a monk,

a survivor from a sunken civilization

she built a garden of smooth stones

and a hut of driftwood

she spent her days weaving sea grass

into fragrant empty baskets

*

Calico cats lived on the fourth island

Painted turtles on the fifth

On the sixth all the seabirds

came to rest and nest

*

the seventh island was always

covered in mist

so no one ever knew

if anyone lived there at all