Water Makes Many Beds

Water Makes Many Beds - meaning Summary

Rest Resisted by Water

The poem imagines water as a restless, unsuitable bed for sleep. It contrasts the expectation of a restful chamber with a moving, endless “undulating” space whose curtains and amplitude prevent repose. The speaker treats water’s motion as inhospitable and even frightening, suggesting that some environments inherently resist calm and closure. The short lyric registers anxiety about instability and the impossibility of finding final rest in a shifting world.