On the Beach

we live such fragile lives subject to earth, wind, water, fire alive in a universe we barely understand despite all our probative energy attempting to stay the hand of death one more hour, one more day warding off its perceived finality a woman once dreamed of an airplane crash jet fuel and blood streaking her face like drops of rain bodies falling through the sky horrified, she watched as they hit the ground only to become new life forms a contiguous existence, death passing into life as gracefully as a blossom falls to the earth this image a stark contrast to the decimation we experience our terrified response to earthquake and flood we base our security on transient forms and beings human flesh and personality, a beloved pet structures composed of concrete, wood, metal this is my daughter, my dog, my partner this is my house, my office, my car when natural phenomena disrupt our carefully constructed lives we are shocked, grief-stricken appalled at the universe for dealing such a blow indignant at God's apathy and in our blindness, fail to witness death's genesis