white sand
the ocean stretches out
beyond my comprehension,
and all i can do is spread my hands
in a child’s approximation.
waves gently fall at the shore,
broken on rocks that look
like honeycombs fallen to the ground.
smooth pebbles with colourful
swirls settle at my feet,
the sea’s offering to its worshippers.
and as the sun slowly sinks below
the far line of the horizon,
puddles of water turn into
iridescent pools,
pinks, purples, golds
mixing in an ethereal painting.
this is an art gallery.
every corner an installation,
boughs of trees bending into
side profiles of unknown people.
i softly hum my favourite songs,
let the wind carry them along
the infinite shoreline.
between one blink and the next,
a thousand stars have come to play,
the glow of the milky way
guiding us home safe.
the vastness of this universe
never fails to put me in my place.
humbling and empowering
at the same time.
for these stars reflected in
the gentle ripples of the unyielding sea,
they will guide me to softer places.
i am nothing in the grand scheme
of the millions of galaxies,
yet i am everything to the small
world of people that love me.
in the hypnotising catch and release
of moon and ocean tides,
i find myself again.
everyday, my brain filters out
so much of my surroundings.
if i focused on each sound,
each detail, each sensation,
i know my mind would break.
but i would dance
with madness a thousand times
to remember these memories
in high definition.