Here is where the heart bleeds

hidden in silent crevasses deep

and along wind swept mountainsides exposed

Here is where you test resolve step by step

knowing you may falter

there are no guarantees in this fragile world

Here is where you inhale and realize in a single breath

all the beauty that contains your life

and where you exhale discovering the ignorance of your actions

Here is where the mind pleads

beckoning to the seas

as crashing waves of hope sync with undercurrents of sorrow

and footprints are gently engulfed one by one

Here is the time for children to come rushing

forward and back along the tidal shores

dancing in delight

a stream of unbroken presence shining in their eyes

Here is where you put down roots

and know you are alive