1
any stretch of shoreline
is not two sides of the same coin
viewed from water or land
even assuming you know the twisting roads
or clusters of housing and wharves
or white steeples and beacons
the familiar melts unevenly
even the maritime charts and roadmaps
conflict
one measured in knots
and the other, miles
for many good reasons
the pieces rarely fit
even if you could walk on water
and still the rough waves
2
land is a kind of insurance
if you don’t crash
any grounding and the atmosphere
both move, often in contrary
currents, you navigate a facade
blue is never the ocean’s true nature
even on a summer day
unnoticed red or yellow modulate
when rain comes up
the beacon vanishes
in fear or arrogance
3
no matter how similar
they initially appear
waterfowl bridge this disparity
moving, air
Poem copyright 2016 by Jnana Hodson
To see the full set of seacoast poems, click here.
Jnana's Red Barn 