The Unknown

[gfowle]

The Unknown

As the waves chased me up the beach,
And the water barely brushed my toes,
It seemed as if the world was gone,
That only this vast unknown ocean mattered now.

Children ran screaming,
Splashing and crying.
Building things from nothing
And tearing them back down.
Collecting shells,
Collecting wonder,
Unfazed by the ocean before them.

Then I found myself digging,
Looking in the sand
For inspiration,
Searching for something
Buried in the earth.

My sole purpose in life became
Forming sand into castles,
Water running over my toes,
Sun warming sand
And hair
And skin.

With the warmth of the sun
And the darkness of the water
The world seemed endlessly complex.
The waves crashed in the distance
But all that I felt
Were the silent tugs
Of an underwater tide.

A mysterious current
In that vast unknown ocean
Seemed to have more power than anything.

But then the day ended,
The crowds cleared,
And I, full of questions,
Knew it was time to be on my way.

As I left,
I chanced one glance backwards,
To make sure that vast unknown ocean
Stayed in its place.
Then I walked away,
Knowing that behind me,
The water remained,
And the waves
Crash
On.