Apprehension

And all hours long, the town Roars like a beast in a cave That is wounded there And like to drown; While days rush, wave after wave On its lair.

An invisible woe unseals The flood, so it passes beyond All bounds: the great old city Recumbent roars as it feels The foamy paw of the pond Reach from immensity.

But all that it can do Now, as the tide rises, Is to listen and hear the grim Waves crash like thunder through The splintered streets, hear noises Roll hollow in the interim.