Sandcastles

 

While sifting through old photographs

Of childhood, black and white,

I came across a scene that stirred

My memory, overnight,

Three children by a sandcastle,

The finest ever made,

My sister, me and Hazel,

Made with bucket, and with spade,

With towers, crenellations

And surrounded by a moat,

The sand was dry, the tide was out

It stood there proud, remote.

 

Though sixty years have passed since then,

That camera shutter's sight

Caught just one random moment in

An afternoon's delight,

It froze that moment of our lives,

That castle on the sand,

And though the tide swept in that day

That castle, still it stands,

While we watched as the sands of time

Wrought havoc in our lives,

The moat we built could not protect

From husbands, or from wives.

 

The tide swept in and filled the moat,

The sides began to melt,

The water undermined the walls

And suddenly, they fell,

The love that we had built them with

Was washed right out to sea,

And left no sign of love behind,

For Hazel, Tess or me,

And then we learned the lesson

That our lives revolved around,

That nothing built will last unless

It's built on solid ground.

 

We spent our lives in dreaming

Building castles in the sand,

Believing that the tide would never turn

To wreck our plans,

We thought love was the answer

'Til discovering, too late,

That love swings on a pendulum,

The other end is hate,

And just as tides flow in and out

And level out the land,

The tides of life wreak havoc with

Our castles in the sand.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[B]

You brought tears to my eyes
I come from a family of three sisters and one brother
We build castles till this day and i am 31

I hope nothing washes away our solid grounds and our castles are not just built in sand

I couldn't ever bear departing from them
I have never loved anyone this much and never will

You are so beautiful with your words
Can't stop crying

[SM Davis]

Stellar mechanics. Gorgeous imagery. A fine work here. Truly

[Robert Trakofler]

dear god in heaven that was wonderful to read the feeling the tone tempo and rhyme all flowed together in a perfect unfolding to this readers eyes and ears just lovely what a joy to read you

[Rye]

This one really tugged at the heart strings. SO full of emotions. Nicely presented and very emotional

[Deborah Brooks-Langford]

David anther amazing poem.. I love how you write about your family... just beautiful... you make me think about my good memories of my younger years with mom dad and brothers and sisters.. .. growing up and having my family of my own... such beautiful memories..thank you so much..

[HeavenSunArcadez]

Wow amazing write... i am blown away by this... from the very start the title caught my attention and i am very happy that i took the time to read this.... such incredible metaphors and instructional wisdom from life lessons/war wounds... Its true there's a thin line between love and hate... and anything can be brought down, the smallest leak can sink a great ship...perhaps the only a few special aspects can survive this life... but everything has its season...u through so many powerful lines in this id have to write a page but, I give u much respect and kudos on this masterpiece.. definitely and incredible and write with master precision... excellent work

[minisla]

Probably one of the most honest piece I've read from you David. Love the way you intertwined the photo with your own life. How great it would be if all walls could be built on solid ground.

[marytownsend]

Such a beautiful portrait of childhood and of life! The picture adds depth to the words and the moments in time! Beautiful poem!

[Manpreet]

Dear David,

Its a beautifully written piece and a bit different than your usual style because it has that childlike expression in the begining and it ends with a intellectual mature thought. great write, I enjoyed it very much.

[Becky C Strukamp]

You compose such beautiful poems of ones life, I can vision the sand castles and the laughter. An excellent poem.