Love finds little latitude

Love finds little latitude
Once it leaves the sea
And sails between the rocky heads
That guard its proper berth.

Precise in pitch and attitude,
It must turn perfectly
To miss the sharp-edged coral beds
Garlanding its girth.

The wind still blows, the waves still roll
Out where the water's deep,
But here within, a tidal peace
Reverses with the moon.

Here is the elusive goal,
Too permanent to keep,
That sits in small print on the lease
Of those who dock at noon.