Two shores are fastened by the water —
A running stitch that pulls between the land
And stretches in the currents looser or tauter
Over the rocks and underneath the sand.
Therefore the fishermen mend their sails with scabs —
The kind of seam that holds together flesh in
Windings of the spray when omens freshen
And lap the broken mast in dribs and drabs.
Freshen – When describing the wind, “to freshen” means “to grow stronger.”
Lap – Here “to lap” means both “to envelop” and “to splash.”