The lighthouses along the Sound
Looked the same

And taught the same lesson
To fisherman, seafarers,
Children in small boats, and us:

Behind me is the harbor you seek
But first:

Worse than the tumult of waves,
The still and silent blaze of the sun,
The lonely cries of grey skies
And thirst

Are rocks that will rip you apart
If you are careless
If you look away
If you forget where you are.

Between here and home
Is your greatest danger.

Bow your head.
Watch where you pass

Or be taken down
Between the rolling grandeur of the sea
And the hard earth that
Stops the melody
With a clap
That embraces
What it does not kill.