A Sandcastle And The Fragility Of Dreams

The sand castle rises
Like a momentary tongue
Licking at the feet
Of the tide,
An architectural dream
Half born from the sand,
Half washed
Back into the sea.

Each grain an invitation
To be lifted
By Cupid's gentle breath,
Yet here I stand,
Ankle deep
And lunging against
The coming roar.

The castle is a wish,
Unfolded,
Its spires
Reaching for the sky,
A humble mimicry of castles
That grace the pages
Of fairy tales,
Yet enough
To make us believe
In dreams
Built of sand and salt.

But the waves are unyielding,
Lapping at its fragile walls,
As if timing the seconds
We have
Before it tumbles,
Forgotten
By the sea's amnesia.

A child's fascination
Draws her closer,
Determined.
Her fingertips
Trace the walls,
So delicate,
So willing
To believe in magic
In the dunes,
Even as it crumbles
Beneath her touch.

Her eyes,
Like marbles,
Are inlaid
With flickering sunlight,
And as she peers
Into the structure,
As if peering
Into possibility itself,
I see her reflection
Mixing with mine,
Two faces entwined
In the passing waves.

And how the ocean whispers secrets,
Promises,
And whispered vulnerabilities,
As we marvel
At the impermanence
Of this kingdom
We sought to build,
Knowing the fall is inevitable,
Yet too engrossed
To tear ourselves away.

As the castle melts into the sand,
Its echoes mingle
With the saltwater air,
A vague reminder of dreams
That roam these shores,
Like memories
We wish to preserve,
But can only keep
Within ourselves.

And so, we walk away,
Hand in hand,
Our footprints swallowed by the tide,
Leaving behind the skeleton
Of a castle
That once stood tall,
Knowing that we, too,
Are but fragments
In the ever-shifting sands
Of this vast
And ancient ocean.