On the Beach

Forever standing on the edge of that great ocean,
Its waves washing over and through me,
As the rising and falling tides of breath.
My dim vision catching only glimpses
Of this sea of life
As it stretches away
From what I know of my fingers,
The longings of my blood
And the beating of my heart.
Here on the threshold of its depths
I see the tiny lives in their billions
That support my own existence.
Across the waves of rising falling life
With sentience I touch
The unknown depths of what I am.
It whispers to me its secrets
As I with hushed breath
Listen to its surf
Pounding in my ears and chest.
Standing ever on the edge
Of that vast territory of life
Of which we all
Live only on the beach.

Copyright ©2006 Tony Crisp