Tides

Tides
There are some coasts
Where the sea comes in spectacularly
Throwing itself up gullies, challenging cliffs,
Filling harbours with great swirls and a flourish,
A theatrical even that people gather for
Curtain up twice daily. You need to know
The hour of its starting, you have to be on guard.

There are other places
Places where you do not really notice
The gradual stretch of the fertile silk of water
No gurgling or dashings here, no froth no pounding
Only at some point the echo may sound different
And looking by chance one sees 'Oh the tide is in.'

Jenny Joseph (b. 1932)