After a storm

On the California coast

An entire beach nearly vanished ~

I remember the beachfront

With its balconied apartments

And gouging rental fees

Suddenly less than desirable

With balconies over open space ~

The cliff that had shored them up

Washed away in floods and rains

And the heavy scent of tar

Filling the once fresh air.

I see the stone faces

Worn down by centuries of winds

Grooves cast deeply

Like so many aged people

Losing their first forms

In the face of constant pressure.

And I wonder

As we are stripped away

By microscopic progress ~

At our drive

To stand with cliffs washed away

To withstand the tidal winds.

I wonder at the ego

That demands we dominate

The elements ~

And deny the erosion

Of our bodies

Within the storms – Caroline A. Slee