Weathering Water-Wave Theory

Kathryn MacDonald

I am not the long, rhythmic 
tidal wave energized 
by moon and sun, nor 
the sculpting crescents
of wind-pushed waves
rioting against the tide
in this troubled passage,
but I am caught between 
tide and wind, unnerved
by the violent cauldron
of this inner sea, chaos 
unfurling as the predictable
confronts the capricious.

The Science

This poem was inspired by two sailing situations at sea—one on the Caribbean and the other on The Sea of the Inner Hebrides—where I experienced the conflict of tidal flow and wind. When wind blows against opposite-direction tidal currents, the waves' steepness increases while their wavelength decreases, resulting in rougher sea conditions. In other words, when the tide (predictable) is confronted by wind-driven waves (unpredictable) – the outcome is violent, turbulent seas despite the prediction for smooth sailing.

The Poet

Kathryn MacDonald has published in literary journals such as Humana Obscura and Amethyst Review in the US, Dust and The High Window in the UK, Pinhole Poetry and Room in Canada, plus journals in Ireland, and India. Her reviews have been published in journals such as FreeFall and The t/Emz Review.  Kathryn has a new collection to be released Spring 2026. She is one of four poets featured in the chapbook, Liminal Spaces (Glentula Press, 2025), the author of Far Side of the Shadow Moon (chapbook, Glentula Press, 2024), A Breeze You Whisper: Poems (HBP, 2011), and Calla & Édourd (fiction, HBP, 2009). Please see https://kathrynmacdonald.com for details.

Next poem: Whales by Molly Herring