it is an ocean
having brushed the coasts
and cliffs of foreign lands,
its tongue
and lips brushing their
seductive sand and stone.

it is a sigh
let loose on a sugary
beach, its toes
sandy and caked,
high.

it is a bite
upon time's ankle
memory and detail
its form taking shape
and color.

it is a stone
cast at a mountain's edge
epoch battered
shed of itself.

it is a cactus
poking and invading
bodies of those who dare
its armor thick
and painful.

and yet, its
struggle a haphazard journey
through the elements

and again, despite;

it is a soft-petaled flower
its opening slow and deliberate
its awakening responsive
its showy hues dancing
and falling aside.