For Shore

Look in, look out
Breathe up, breathe down
Hard to return to the ground
And plant your feet soundly
Once you’ve been flying
And sailing the seven seas
Miles of time have held that place
In the arms of time
Remind the sailor where he has been
Because he has seen so much
That it now blends together
In the mosaic of memory
In the place where the boom of the sail
Is louder than the pounding of the railway
Look in, look out
Farther inward than out and you will be okay
Breathe up and breathe down
So there is room to grow in the lungs of time
That inhale and exhale every present moment
Sometimes we have the luxury to enjoy every moment
And other times it feels a chore
But one thing is for shore
The sea breathes in every memory
It breathes in and out with the tide
And we look in, look out on the horizon
Where the sun both rises and sets,
Depending on which direction you look
And at what time
Blinded by the sun and enlightened at the same time
Yet not fully ignited because the flames are only lit
In our hearts
Each flame burns differently
And although we do not see
We know there is a flame in all people that we meet
Each person we know and people we pass by
This flame unites us, though we know not why
We do not always need the answer, nor the alibi
But to weep with those who cry
To give thanks with those who rejoice
To mourn with those who are saying goodbye
We have this gift to live alongside one another
To love and to be loved
What a gift.