Change at the Beach

By Jamie Notter

As I eclipse the dune

The reality hits me:

The beach has changed.

Inlet shifted.

Tide lines moved.

Landscape altered.

Wise locals nod knowingly

To the great storm

That means nothing to me.

I only know my beach has changed

Yet I stop

And marvel at my own daughters

Prancing in the surf.

Now young ladies,

Their little girl ways

Only a memory

Of course my beach

Has changed.

Permanence was only an illusion.

I took comfort

In the constant crashing

Of the waves

And the unending pull

Of the tides

But my beach laughs at my wistful

Longing for stability.

It knows only to be alive

Offering the piercing beauty

Of an unapologetic commitment to power.

I stand in awe, yet

The sand crab emerges

From its dark hole

Peering at the same beach

That I claim to be radically

Transformed.

As it takes in the dramatic scene

It unceremoniously discards the tiny

Morsel of sand for which it has no use.

Attentive to life fully

It doesn’t wait for others

To acknowledge the importance

Of its effort

Or  authorize
the value

Of its commitment.

Or applaud the courage

Of its actions.

Our beach is ready for us

It has always been ready

To smile when we step

Through our story

Into the wind and crashing waves

Of truth.