Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Rip-Tide (revised)

There is a tide in the affairs of men--
it's rip-tide now, and all along the coast
the boats are stirring, pulling at their lines
and pointing prows upstream, like gun-dogs on
the scent. An oar goes floating past, a stray
seat-cushion fallen from some dinghy moored
at the marina. Swirls of bubbles mark
the current's covert passage undersea.

I’ve watched and known the daily rise and fall
and surfed high-water over shallow reefs
to anchor safe against the curve of land.
But now the current runs orthogonal
to long-established habits and beliefs,
the tiller trembles underneath my hand.

Collection available! Knocking from Inside

5 comments:

Stan Ski said...

Look before you leap...easier said than done!

Josephine- said...

I like the rhythm, the vividness of your imagery.

Pirate Princess said...

You do well evoking the emotions out of the reader. :)

Anonymous said...

I like this better. It is definitely tighter - more solid.

Gemma Wiseman said...

Love how you depict the precocious rip tide rather than the "usual" tides of nature. This small difference has a powerful effect on what you voice!

Gemma