the ocean & the sandcastle

the ocean
& the sandcastle

the waves run ashore and reclaim the sand.
you watch a sandcastle melt into the water.
what once was majestic is now a memory.
naturally, panic sets in and your mind races-
"what if i had built it taller? or just a little bit stronger?"
reason tells you that you were never any match for the mighty ocean.
it was just a matter of time before she took back what was rightfully hers.
reason does little to ease the sense of loss.
just because you never owned the sand you claimed-
doesn't mean it was any less yours.
even though a pristine landscape now lives where your castle once did-
your work was not in vain.
you lovingly molded tiny, inconsequential, grains into a fortress;
you took scraps of broken shells and dirt and made something beautiful;
you built a house and made it your home.

sandcastles aren't meant to last forever.
after enough time, the waves will provide us all with a new perspective.