The Tempest Against Shore

A formal poem where sea and storm frame restrained desire, memory, and deep longing.

The tempest in me first awoke
Like waves from a ruthless storm
Crashing against the shore,
Water against rock,
Water against sand.

I was drawn to you the first time we met,
Your certainty,
The quiet confidence in how you stood within yourself.
Woe unto me for noticing.

Time passed,
Then fate, with its crooked smile, brought you back.
This time, you stirred the tempest anew,
That wild sea wind
That refuses calm, no matter how long it waits.

When my waters met your shore,
I found no end to the longing.
Then I understood
Why restraint never stood a chance.

We collided,
Wave against wave,
Two forces refusing retreat,
Desire pulling, yielding, pulling again,
A battle with no victor
Only surrender.

Again and again my tide returned,
Until yearning dissolved into stillness,
And the storm finally rested
In the quiet satisfaction of the deep.

Yet lately, I wander the shoreline of thought,
Wondering
If I were to reach for your shores once more,
Would you welcome the tide?