Once I met a wind swept man
Who constructed his days
& spent his nights in craft,
And the time betweens
Sifting the beaches
For bits of precious sea glass.
Milky white, palest aqua,
Sea green, and cobalt blues,
Burnished browns, occasional reds
And the rarest of violet hues.
These shards of the past
Once raw & jagged
Now polished & refined
He would into make jewelry
Creating a holder,
A reminder of the divine.
Solidly set in silver
Skillfully soldered
Edges worked intaglio-
Stars & moons,
Cut outs to reveal
The treasured inner glow.
How like our hearts...
What was once a whole vessel
To whatever elixir
Ambrosia in the moment
Containing the promise of eternity
Infinity in a bottle
Or so we took for granted.
Suddenly smashed & broken
Tumbled by turmoil
Tossed by tides of grief.
Scoured by remorse
Cleansed of regret
These fragments of relief.
Shrapnel of the soul
Now soft, eroded edges
Worn smooth by patience.
Translucent, transcendent,
A constant reminder:
Time is precious.
Sea glass, see glass
See through the looking glass...
Salt tears & wisdom know-
Sand once melted
Sand now scoured
Even glass will flow.
Milky white, palest aqua
Sea green baubles
Hung on sterling chains
Reminding the throat
Reminding the heart
Cherish each moment that remains.
