I am the line that takes the strain
Fucus knows my latin name
Deckhand boots press salt into grain
Overpass hum sings a low refrain
Hold fast hold fast the tide runs deep
Hold fast hold fast promises keep
Zostera roots in the shadow sweep
Laminaria dreams where dark waters creep
Morning diesel coughs on the upper deck
Ulva wears the salt speckled neck
His gloves trace knots a quiet check
Pneumatocysts rise no wreck no wreck
Hold fast hold fast the tide runs deep
Hold fast hold fast promises keep
Zostera roots in the shadow sweep
Laminaria dreams where dark waters creep
Noon sun slants through concrete ribs above
Porphyra sheets in a violet glove
He mends a splice with hands I love
Chondrus crispus binds the holdfast cove
Hold fast hold fast the tide runs deep
Hold fast hold fast promises keep
Zostera roots in the shadow sweep
Laminaria dreams where dark waters creep
Evening paint peels on the ferry hull
Enteromorpha blooms in a green lull
He lights a smoke the day grows dull
Hold fast breathes deep the night pulls full
Hold fast hold fast the tide runs deep
Hold fast hold fast promises keep
Zostera roots in the shadow sweep
Laminaria dreams where dark waters creep
Hold fast hold fast where the holdfasts sleep
Slap bass fades brass kisses the sky
One last knot holds the tide rolls by