Stepping

Time comes sliding forward
compressed in compartments
moving faster with each day that passes
as the prints left behind
fade from view.
Washing away each second
on the blackboard of memory
the chalk dust settles on empty chairs
waiting to be filled
by a soul that knows,
that understands.
Teaching the lessons
the universe calls to attention
and we are so easily distracted
by the sounds of calm from an angry sea
found between each wave
that slips over the sand,
creating the new reality
we leave behind.
For in the element of world,
the fires that burn
and the water that cools,
we wash our memories of darkness
and make room for light,
letting go what cannot be changed
for we have stood taller
in the thick of the mix,
saving ourselves with words of kindness
and shared amongst strangers
we find one day
the whole of love is all that remains.