Time

Walk on a beach at midnight
And gather in your hands
A palm or two of water
And fingers full of sand

And wonder at the movement
Of the ever changing tide
Of the shifting sands of time which fall
Through fingers to your side

Then dwell upon the ages
Which have passed beneath the moon
Of the lifetimes that have started
And have finished all too soon

And keep in full perspective
The proportion of your span
Of the power of the ocean
And the frailty of man

Let it temper every action
Which you make along the way
To achieve your tiny greatness
In the moments of your stay

For the tide will still be turning
And the sand will still be fine
Upon the beach at midnight
As they measure out the time.

By Declan Whitney