Another Tide

Look outside the tide is high The coal black reef is gone Submerged beneath an indifferent shroud And glancing up, pearl shaped clouds Move across a static sky Look to the horizon Beyond the yawning Firth Restless from its duty Where granite mountains rise Not objects of beauty Too bitter to climb An ancient impediment That was built to divide And keep in place Quiet little lives Clockwork years of ticking boxes And sand-signed sincere promises Hands held, eyes locked On future days together Now in shadow From a looming monolith Too high to climb, the air too rare Dare not breathe the same breath When our different lives roll in and out Of slam-shut doors and cruel-cold shores Submerging the reef with incessant timing Holding us fast to our permanent positions Anchors to our hearts' desire For another day, another tide