Beachcomber

BEACHCOMBER

For Henry on his fiftieth birthday

When some of us grow older

we forget our dreams.

Time erodes our ideals.

Our thoughts age

along with our bodies

and decay.

But 

there are those who retain

their longing,

refusing to give in.

For even the beachcomber

looks forward

to the new moon

the spring tide.

He is aware 

of the cycle of life

created by the sea

here on this desolate rock.

He knows the beauty 

of the ocean;

the birds 

and animals it sustains.

As he looks toward the horizon

he can see 

what others don’t.

He sees life

connected to itself

the perfect universe

to which we all belong

that mysterious spark

that is

complete.

From the Book This Will Pass