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The Tide by Jordan Scott

I look out at her from behind the fence
She's warm, delicate, a light silver colour
A few happy waves break across her surface
I smile as a couple children, brother and sister, play around her
Their laughing voices fill the air
Joined by the soft sound of her voice, humming to herself
Peaceful and serene
It's how you expect her to look
It's how she seems in the pictures
It's how she wants to be
The children are giggling; they are making sandcastles
Little mounds of sand by her reaching hands
Her fingers wrap around their art
Touching it, stroking it
Admiring their creations
She smiles at them
She can appreciate its subtle beauty
Her fingers retract, leaving the sandcastles be
I love to see her like this
Playing with her children
Humming her song with her soft voice
So docile
So calm

So vulnerable...

The winds pick up
She feels it coming
That dreaded storm
The clouds darken
I see them reflected in her watery eyes
Those little happy waves grow
They change
They aren't calm anymore
Crashing against each other
Her quiet song becomes frustrated growls
The brother and sister retreat from her
Just as her fists come down on their small, innocent artwork
They all break so easily in her grasp
The pieces left to themselves
To scatter to wherever they will end up
The howling winds fill the air
I resist the urge to howl back
Scream at this curse of nature
Cry at this feeling of helplessness
This feeling that I cannot stop this changing scene

And it's such a sudden change
Could anyone see it coming?
I'm not sure
Even after these years of sitting, watching, from behind my fence
This change always catches me off guard
The cold, hostile attitude she holds
As she rips away what is left of before
Of that peaceful, bright and oh so fragile scene
That decorated this place just minutes before
That silver shine replaced by a deep dark blue
My smile disappear, and I sigh
It saddens me that something so beautiful
Can become something so dangerous, so quickly
Every time I've seen it
These polar opposites
It scares me

It scares me that such a small detail
Such a slight change in the winds
Could bring about so much destruction
Could affect not just her, but all around her
Her gentle demeanour from before
Her sweet humming song
Those small children's pure minds
My own alluring picture, in which I found so much comfort
Moments before, that picture was so stable
Now, it breaks apart before me
Falling to the ground with my own tears
I cling to the thought of how she was before
That light, angelic manner in which she flowed
The captivating sound of her voice
Mixing now and then with a bird's song of laughter
And I know, once those stormy winds retreat
Leaving the obscenity they created behind
I know then that my picture will mend
But my heart, along with those children's hearts
They will always know what lies in wait
Dormant until those winds return
And wreak havoc upon our peace again

But this isn't what I find joy in, this rage
This isn't my precious, happy love
This is another change in the tide