An Hour Walk Upon The Strand

Twilight hour
And the ocean waves whisper my name,
Beckoning
For a walk along the strand.
I take leave of my friends--
One hour
With their blessing to return.
Barefoot--
The damp sand cooling
With each muted step
That leads my mind to visions
Other-worldly
Within this present world.
Sun fades--
Shadows creep to meet its cousin
Silhouette.
My thoughts go creeping with them
Over lives I've never seen nor heard before.
Endless lives
And dreams--
What thoughts lie hidden in each head?
Infinite possibility!
Each thought, one drop within an endless sea!
I hear them whispering back to me.
Walking out beyond the bend--
A craggy shore where sands end.
Two lovers sit upon the rocks,
Arm in arm,
Staring out to sea.
The crescent moon--a floating sail
Rises up within the sky,
Smiling back upon the sea,
Sparkling in a never ending line
Like a thousand silver-fish jumping in the waves.
I climb the rocks--
A distant space--
So not to interfere with lover's longings.
Seemingly alone.
The sea-swell speaks so softly
On a calm night,
Summoning the stars
That one by one appear,
Gazing on the earth below
Like silent angels hovering over newborn babe
As it sleeps in its comfortable cradle, unaware.
I close my eyes
And breath in the moment,
Making it my own--
A part of me. . .
Sky, sand, and sea.
A gentle wind,
The salt spray,
Evokes a feeling inside of me
That I have felt before but feel anew,
As if for the first time.
I open my eyes.
The lovers have disappeared in the night
Like the foam upon a wave's crest
That suddenly appears, ghost-like,
Then vanishes within its swelling.
Barefoot.
As I stand and walk away
The jagged rocks tear at my feet
Reminding me I am human--
A visitor to this scene.
My return to the cold, damp sand is inviting--
A soothing balm that relaxes both body and mind.
Free
Among the night air.
The salt spray,
The flowing tide,
And moonbeams dancing toward the shore!
Free!
All of my cares washed with the ebb far out to sea.
And in the darkness
People gather close to one another.
A large group in a circle prays.
A couple walking hand in hand
As their young son sprints ahead
Into the night,
Returns,
Then sprints ahead again.
A group of friends
Seated on the sand
With elevated discourse on the moon,
Upon the soul,
Upon some comedy seen the night before.
I see a castle in a barren waste,
Built no more than a few hours before,
Yet in likeness of some thousand
Years of ruin.
Wind and waves promoting life and death.
Such is my being--
Eternal,
Refreshed by all I see--
Withering in the minutes
Vanishings
That leave me eroding as I drink
The bitterness of life with a joyful tongue.
Ah, the sweetness of an hour!

(September 2007)