Poet, John Barnes, is a student of verse.

THE EBB AND FLOW OF HOPE

Sunk into the water of the night 

My starry hopes caught in the undertow 

Swirling mid the bubbles in delight 

And dazzled by the oceanic glow

Of starfish and anemones in blue 

Who dance among the currents seeking prey

My vain desires taking on the hue

Of all the dreaming denizens held sway

By moonstruck hopes and broken tidal wars

That flay the ocean floor with back and forth 

Currents grinding shells onto the shores

And I collect the dregs of tidal birth--

Clawing at the grains of sand in brine

These pitted shards and pearly dross are mine.