Kelvin Wanyama Poet Free verse

Where the Tide Keeps Its Promises

The day had already made a promise.

Every conversation carried the sunrise
from one eager camper to another.
When dawn finally broke,
it outshone every tale we had told.
The whispers dissolved into wonder,
and for a while
silence became the only language
worthy of the morning.

With hearts still full of the horizon,
we wandered back to camp for breakfast,
our thoughts no longer on the sky
but on the work that waited for our hands.

Beyond the tents,
boats stitched the channel together,
each one ferrying villagers
towards the place where we would gather.
The island, awake at last,
welcomed us with the rhythm of paddles
and the laughter of familiar faces.

Then rose the voice of the local captain,
floating across the water
like a hymn the tide had memorized.
His songs beckoned us to the shore,
tempting a few restless souls
to follow him across the channel,
to see its daylight face,
to hear its stories
from the lips of the man who knew its every current.

Soon,
beneath the shelter of a palm-thatched hall,
we became one gathering.
Government officials,
community elders,
our hosts,
and wandering strangers
bound by a common purpose.

Words of welcome settled upon us
like the shade above our heads,
gentle,
yet carrying the weight of responsibility.

Then speeches gave way to footsteps.

Propagules rested in our palms
like small promises awaiting the earth.
We stepped into the waiting mud,
each footprint sinking
where hope had chosen to grow.

For we had come to learn
what the tides had always known,

that every mangrove planted
writes another heartbeat
into the sea,
and somewhere beneath its roots,
marine life begins its quiet song again.

♡Like0

Share Poem

---

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment