Perfectly round,
the pebble lies upon
the sand. For a thousand
years in deep blue waves,
unseen forces shaped it into a flawless sphere.
Knocked and battered,
pounded relentlessly, in endless
battle against nature’s strength,
each blow served only to caress
its rough edges into a smooth, smooth surface.
Snow-white, milk-white,
as soft as the silk inside
a chestnut shell, it catches the
sunlight on the shore and glows
pearlescent upon the ocean floor.
No hand has touched
the pebble since the beginning
of time. Unaffected by human strife
and suffering and sorrow, the pebble
lies blissfully unaware of the world around it.
And now, a wave hisses
up the beach in a whirl
of turquoise. In a blink,
the pebble is swept away.
Gone, for another thousand years
in the cool embrace of the waves.