‘Selkie’s Return’ by Joanna Gilar

I have memories of a picture book from my childhood—a book of burnished browns and pale blues, moss green and dark grays telling the sorrowful tale of the selkie tricked into a land-locked life of wife and mother. As with many children’s stories and tales of old, the song of the narrative was a single note about a creature kept from sea through human trickery. The book left an indelible impression, so it’s no surprise that I find myself, as an adult, looping back to the legend of the selkie, seeking out poems and stories that explore the emotional depths of the legend. Gilar’s ‘Selkie’s Return’ evokes the same colors of my childhood impressions, the stretch of dark sky, the green “as the fronds of sand drunk / sealife marking their / inheritance of hallowed health.” In her poem, there’s the exquisite joy of returning to the sea, but also the complicated notes of love for a human-existence, for the love of child and partner. The satisfying fulfillment of a simple tale into a more realistic and complicated song; each line heartbreaking and wonderful.

Fair Folk