Chuck Schiereck
Author - Photographer
“There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.”
Jack Kerouac
A Castle Is A Gift To The Sea
The Art and Essence of the Sand Castle
In Memory of John, Brian & John
But on that perfect day, we took what time had to offer, gave our gift to the sea, asked for nothing in return, and were blessed. The castle, long gone, replaced by bittersweet fragments, old memories of dreams, sand, and salt.
Yet for a few hours it stood tall, and in our hearts - immortal.
On a golden day the ocean took a breath, and across empty sands, childhood fancy rushed in to take its place.
On any other day, just a parcel of sand and salt - but now we add dreams, each in our own way, combining them, and in the process, creating something larger than the sum. Sand in our hair, we hurry to complete, the clock is ticking, as the tide starts its charge.
Time is no friend - it steals and destroys. Shadows grow long, waves reach out taking all in their grasp. Walls crumble, grains wander off, free now to continue their lonely journeys.
At last complete, the castle is shared for all to see, but wrinkled fingers must still build walls, as others seek only to destroy. And for those that steal from the sea there will be a debt to pay.
Towers, tunnels, and bridges, shaped by private fantasy, add character to the whole, that no one of us imagined.
Treasure in the sand brings smiles. Complete for just a tick or a tock, the essence of the castle is 'time' - a few hours at best. Create what you can, it’s not what you build, but how it makes you feel.
In the blink of an eye, only shards remain. The sea exhales, the tide rolls in - and it's forever gone, as if it had never been.
Celebrating the short time that we’re all together, laughing, digging, packing and shaping; ideas are formed, shared, blended, and fulfilled
Copyright 2014 - 2016 Charles Schiereck (All rights reserved)