The verse

The river keeps its word, the tide its hour;force not the pole when shallows lie laid bare.Wait till the midnight moon climbs on the water—one stroke, and the light skiff goes far from there.

Reading

This lot bids you read the water's ebb and swell: move when the tide is full, lie still when it withdraws. Going with the hour spares your strength; struggling against it spends it in vain. The god points to the moment, not the outcome—how far the boat travels rests with wind, water, and human hearts.

The temple keeper adds

A kind sign. The god nodded — small, but real.

[ Draw another at the temple ][ Keep a traffic omamori ]