Beachcombing Poem by Gabriel SimpsonLaw

It’s never easy, this losing all you value thing
But you just don’t see it coming in that way
Unguarded we stand as the waves boil down upon us
And shatter every atom in their spray

Then churning in and sucking out as they are like to do
They spit us like some flotsam on the strand
In among the driftwood, the bladder-wrack and mussel shells
The green glass smooth worn by the sea and sand

There we lay in little bits ‘til nature takes its course
And binds us bone to sinew one more time
Then mother helps to tie our shoes and gently prods us forward
‘til standing on the beach there is a line

Of tired souls in sunglasses that hide our hopeless eyes
As we search for something secret in the sand
Perhaps for one another then in triumph we could leave
Wrapped tight in our embraces for the land

But like as not we’ll stoop about beside the foaming ocean
In vainest hope that something may appear
To ease the constant nagging pain and longing that is caused
By a life spent seeking pirate treasure here

And those of you that are not skilled in sifting through the grains
Through telescopes, coin operated, see
We duffel coated denizens occasionally crushed
Beachcombing isn’t what it used to be