Denise Levertov, "Elusive" (1992)

The mountain comes and goes
on the horizon,
a rhythm elusive as that of a sea-wave
higher than all the rest, riding to shore
flying its silver banners—
you count to seven, but no,
its measure
slips by you with each recurrence.

Denise Levertov, “Settling,” in Evening Train (New York: New Directions Publishing, 1992), 4. Copyright ©1992 by Denise Levertov. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp.