Building Sand Castles Poem by Suzanne Hayasaki

A wise man says, “Why build castles in the sand? ”
“The tide will simply wash them away? ”
“All of your effort will have been in vain.”

But the wise boy replies, “Yes, I know this castle will be gone tomorrow.
“So will the “I” that exists today. So will the “you.” Nothing lasts for even a moment.
“But it is only by shaping this form out of formlessness with my own two hands that I can get an idea what “castleness” is.
“I know it is not the one true castle.
“I do not mean it to be a testament to my skills.
“I have no desire to leave my “work” behind for posterity.
“What nonsense!
“But in shaping the castle, I shape myself.
“In planning its structure, I examine my own.
“As I look within for inspiration, I see into myself.
“I am not building a castle, I am searching for myself.”

A wise girl would add, “I seek communion with the Mother.
“I take joy simply in being Her.
“It is She I hold in my hands as she holds me.
“It is She I mold for the moment as she shapes me.
“It is She that I search for in my search for “castle” today.”

“I care not for structure and purpose.
“I care only for beauty.
“I care not for what will become of my castle or me or of the world.
“I care only for what I am doing now in this world.
“Everything else is out of my hands.
“Everything else is in Hers.”

“But I try to find Her in myself.
“And I do.
“In every moment, in every action, in every thing.”
“And so I know that everything is, was, and always will be, just as it should be.”
“What more do I need to know? ”