The Rip
By Jeffrey Agnoli
We thought we knew this sea
we all swim within
but the sudden and fierce grip
of a rip current seized
even the most adept swimmers
churning the water sickly green
and pulling all into dark depths
where hungry great whites
and poisonous jellies lurk
and the horizon ends
yet even with salt-stung eyes
we can keep the ribbon of hope
in sight and swim parallel
to its undying light with a tireless
stroke and weightless float
until we emerge from the
tossing waves and stand on the
shore of a new and better land.
Jeffrey Agnoli is an Edgartown resident. Poems available on Instagram @jeffagnoli.
Poets with a connection to Martha’s Vineyard are encouraged to submit poems to community@mvtimes.com. Please include a two- to three-sentence bio.
