In a landscape of stone
I strive for the softness
Of water
She burrows into his arms
Marvels again
At the sanctuary
Physical strength
In tranquil balance
With silky softness of spirit
Onshore breezes
Salt and sand flitter
Scents and sensations
Tingling
Everywhere
Especially her heart
As she nuzzles
Deeper
This embrace
Warm haven
From chill sea air
Ripples
In the soft
And the hard
On the water
A gentle breeze
In the moment
On the granite
Storms and ice
Over aeons
In my spirit
The rock and roll
Of the history of me
Be soft
She said
Like velvet
Bend with the wind
Like grass
In the field
So when others
Touch your life
They are not cut
And if they lean on you
A little hard
You do not break
All this broken glass
You wear
From your past
It harms you
As much as those
You love
And what is not
Already broken
Is brittle
With the slightest pressure
It shatters
Into shards you wield as weapons
Learn to be soft
Before you crumble
To no more than sand
Or only when
You are naught but dust
Will you ever be soft
Though patience
And softness
Cannot resolve
Every problem
The peace flowing
From their practice
Bears a reward
Of its own
As I watch
The sun set
Upon the stone
The river cut
Majestic
Formidable
Hard
weak
soft
supple
tenacious
Power
In a complex
Of rectangle and square
Though rich with gardens
Water flowing through fountains
This space of rounded stone
Softened only by circular curves
Is the place of peace for me
The unyielding
Asks me
To yield
So I become the cloud
Pass over the peaks
Flow through the valley
I align with the supple forces
Which overcome the implacable
I understand
How the soft
Is stronger
Than the hard
All such admirable
Qualities of stone
Though I prefer
Soft
Supple
Flowing
Fluid