James Phillips Photography

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Lido Beach

Lido Beach (2004)

On the restless border of two worlds
time is a shadow
in the burrow of a ghost crab,
the fleeting radiance of a
morning glory,
the fierce hunger of a heron.

In the soft sand,
every passage is recorded.
Evidence is preserved, at least
for a while.

The tide rises,
bearing gifts for the gathering gulls.
Water-worn shells tumble in the surf.
Sand returns to sand.

What the waves can’t conquer,
the wind compels,
scattering the golden sea oats,
driving the dunes down, grain by grain.