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

[mcg03002]

David,

Now THAT is a well-constructed, interesting, emotionally charged, delicious little poem. I love the way it flows. The imagery that it conjured up in my head was so bittersweet. I thought of my childhood years, spent living in a beautiful house near Lake Mission Viejo in southern California. My little sister and I would build castles on the shoreline of that lake. It's funny how clearly I remember it now...and it's interesting how infrequently I've thought of those days prior to reading this poem. Just like those castles I built with my sister, there have been many things in my life that I've poured my whole heart into constructing...only to see them slowly erode and dissolve away into nothing. And yet, even as relationships, businesses, hobbies that I've built up and been proud of have crumbled and fell...the memory of them as they stood when they were new and beautiful is what I carry around with me. I guess that's what keeps me building.

I love this poem. Thanks David.

[Emerald Seas]

Love it! Wonderful life lessons illustrated in this piece in a fun yet, somber voice.

We cannot build our lives, or know ourselves, without a solid footing. Having 2 teens, one of my consistent messages these days with all of the turmoil and distractions that surround them is to find yourself, ground yourself... everything else falls into place or is much easier to handle once you know yourself. I find, even in mid-life, that there are many people that have never "found" themselves - and now reap what they have sown through all the chaos. Fabulous writing!

[Abhishek Ramchandran]

Awesumm.... really love the poem.... it nice of you to share such an experience with the world..... :) :) :) :)

[Alicia Schroeder]

Fantastic.. A beautiful way of putting life in perspective, if only from a moment of a childhood dream, build into a memory that will forever live inside.. :)

[Morrigan Nicole]

Wow, amazing, I am so glad I came accross this! I love the lesson in this piece. Very beautiful.

Favorited

[eatmills]

David, I tell no lies when I say that you have brought a tear to my eye.

[Lena M. P.]

Oh David, I think I have found my favorite of yours. This is so profound. The imagery and metaphors to life so well spelled out. The illusion of love and dreams and how precarious yet precious it all is. You nailed it on this one. Bravo.

[John Phoenix Hutchinson..]

I really enjoyed this poem tinged with a subtle sadness.
As a budding poet and writer I think we can all learn from your
work on here how to go about it right. You set a high benchmark
for us all to reach for,

[CreativeCookie]

It sends a true if slightly painful message. A truly good message, an inspireing read.
Love,
CreativeCookie

[lee von cleef]

Me ,like you,had our worlds grow into something they were not supposed to be,I don't know about yours,but my mom and dad were solid in deep rooted soil, but your pendulum, smashed our castle too,greed and jealousy two seeds that take hold when the wolf is at the door,and love goes out the window.There seems no end to the make believe world they spawn, and the emotions twist till you dive in and shout, or pull the door to, and close a genetic chapter, hard to do when there are mirrors in my house, that reflect all that is gone. I don't know if people can learn from a lesson they read,But when it comes to try,David Lewis Paget your name should be at the top of the list.