Poetry: 'The Harbour' by Tom Harding

Late morning,

the sun high above the harbour,

all is quiet

except for the ferry that docks every hour

to collect tourists,

and the occasional morning boat

tugging slowly to its destination.

The sea is calm and glinting softly

and there is nothing turbulent,

no breeze or murmur,

no mention of the way the world really is,

so you know you must

try to keep it somehow,

and watch it closely

and hold it for all the moments

that won’t be like this;

the sweet industry of the harbour,

its ferry and its boats,

the waiting captain and idle walkers,

talking busily in the middle of their lives.

Poem by Tom Harding from his collection Night Work