not all tides
it wasn’t for the want of trying
the left hand gave
the right took away
both clenched through the night
graceless aching joints reported
to another morning
the sky said welcome, anyway
through floundering years
a sea so capable of lashing out
carried lungs, ribs and
a heart that beats out of habit
just as it can so needlessly cradle
the weathered wood of abandoned boats
going nowhere
the water said
not all tides come twice a day
bide, breathe, bide
your nature is also to bind
Jennifer McCormack is a poet and artist based in Malmo, Sweden. She was born and educated in Glasgow, Scotland. Her work can be found in Ordkonst magazine, Amsterdam Review and New Writing Scotland, among others.
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