Comb the Wind

Some day I will
Lay my body down
In the sands of a forlorn
Beach
Patrolled by gull
And sand crab.

I will exhale my vitality
Into the grey
Between surf and sky
And climb from this
Broken body
As does a warrior
From the wreckage
Of his conveyance.

I will climb the clouds
And mount the stars.

Left to the sands
My ribs will comb the wind.
The tide will wash me clean.
My bones will bleach
In the salt and spray
Of the surf’s ivory.
Like the hulk of a forgotten machine
I will be dismissed.

Let my legacy be
The love of all things beautiful
The mystery of life in clay
The majesty of truth in language
The passion of breath
The joy of song
The power of truth
The peace of approaching dusk
And the hope of renewing dawn.

But for all this
Let my ribs comb the wind.