Infinity by two metres
Depending on the time of day and month
And the vagaries of the Indian Ocean
Elliptical shards of coral sand
Living in the fear
That heralds the first nation to go asunder
As the big men trade their targets
And the glaciers feed the hungry seas
It was not always thus
These seas, and the remorseless energy of their waves
Have long been known to man, and indeed warmly embraced
As they discriminate this earth from the planetary aridness elsewhere
The oceans and rivers breathe life into the land they touch
It could have always been thus
Yet, that touch can, and should be, the caress of the lover
As in Venice, or Capri or gay Paris
Or even the harbours of Sydney or Casablanca
Yet the wilds of Cape Cod or Galway Bay
But it will not always be thus
Those who live by the sea know they may die by the sea
And the price they pay may be profound
A murderous blow not a caress
The cruel sea will someday win
Maldives, January 2004
