Once, and not too long ago at all,

a great grey seal called Solanna 
gave birth to a girl calf seal.

She named her Solanna the Younger, 
and no seal was ever so proud of its calf.

You'd think none of the rest 
of us ever had a calf before.

The old ones cackled on the rocks

as they watched Solanna the Elder 
flick the baby seal with her nose.

They were only jealous because 
the bull seals no longer fought over them.

They spat fishbones at the other seals 
and hit out with their weak old feet.

Solanna the Elder 
didn't even notice them.

All day and night she spent her time
minding Solanna the Younger

suckling her, finding her 
the softest pieces of crab,

and the sweetest 
seagrasses to eat

and mackerel that wriggled between her 
teeth as she fed them to the young calf.

At night in the caves, Solanna the Elder 
spread out on a wide ledge

with Solanna the Younger 
underneath her.

Sometimes a mermaid or two 
would come to admire the baby seal

and sing her lullabies 
in the dark hushed cave

and when the 
mermaids didn't come,

Solanna the Elder 
would sing her calf to sleep

for seals have 
very fine singing voices.