Life

The hour before dawn is dark
The world barren, the view stark
Above are the clouds, leaden and grey
While the sea below is still and sombre.

Soon the silver sky begins to lighten
Turning into pink and then golden
As the warm rays strike the water
The sleeping sea begins to bestir.

The water ripples, the waves are slight
Joining forces, gaining size and might
Their grey faces frilled by white lace
Hug the shore in a powerful embrace.

The waves come and go
In a rhythm, steady and slow
The timeless ebb and flow
With the tides, high and low.

Their onslaught is never-ending,
So is their retreat never-ceasing
Always beating the tattoo of life,
Against the shore without any strife.

A pattern as old as the Earth
Beginning long before man’s birth
One of Nature’s cycles, centuries old
That will continue till Earth turns cold.