Anchor

(for Inga L.)

Not all anchors hold in the sand; 

the tide drags and the swell lifts the chain; 

link by link it unbinds, like fused vertebrae, 
undoing; the fluke must bite and shank stay firm; 

while the stock tilts and balances... dig deep to stay, and hold; 
when the tide turns, resist the constant tug of current and race;

…stay firm, lest you drift to shore....

GILES SUTHERLAND