I had spent the morning dyeing the sea red

With the help of Tip and Lo

When we chanced upon a ship

In sight of nearby Sheerness

Do Not Touch

Do Not Come Near

The watery boards revealed

But we were told to ignore

These dull and frigid signs

For this was the home

Of the Mermaids of Kent

Who were shy beyond belief

Which I must confess

To my friends and I

Was something of a relief

But what of the munitions

The bullets and bombs

The reminders of the war

With only their heads above the waves

The mermaids smiled

The weapons were spared many years ago

And given to passing fish

Who distributed them so widely

On the ocean floor

That they can be quite easily missed

For the rest of the day and into the night

We partied sang and danced

With these mermaids shy

With these mermaids pure

With these mermaids full of grace

And wondered why the people

Who lived on the nearby isle

Avoided this magical place