Seascape

I saw you twenty minutes ago
from the road on the hill.
Your face was not so deeply wrinkled then,
nor your manner so cold.
From the subdued land
you, the older sister seemed quite friendly;
the white waves were a twinkle in your eye
and the sun sliding between the clouds
brought young colours, greens and blues,
to your complexion.

At your footstool now
the grey waves, hostile,
show your strength and power.
Superior with your knowledge
of shores I shall not see,
of depths I cannot know,
your lonely beauty spurns me.

But I have seen you calm,
playful at my feet
like some small animal,
wiping my footprint from the sand
with a single teasing flourish of your hand.