I was sitting on the beach
Playing in the sand
Marking on the earth
Raking with my hand.
Row by row
Curve by curve
Pattern by pattern
I tried to draw clean, perfect lines,
Like Zen rock gardening,
But my nails kept hitting tiny shells
Always hard and startling.
Row by row
Sand by shell
Soft by hard
So I claimed a section of the sand,
A piece of beach that would be mine,
I tried to clear away each shell
So I could draw my perfect lines.
One by one
Toss by toss
Over and over
Everytime I dug one out
My fingers found a couple more
I didn’t see the sun roll by
The sun ignored me on the shore
Minute by minute
Hour by hour
Wave by wave
I’d come too far to give it up
Or to admit futility
So I stayed all day throwing shells away
Seeking life without debris.