Life is but a beach of sand,
Some billion grains of play.
An endless, magic wealth of choice,
How swift life sifts away.

So search, so seek, so reach for stars,
Fear not you’d go astray.
Life’s spoils will fall to those in quest,
Ne’er those who shun the fray.

So cast aside the bonds of earth.
Then fast be on your way.
Some far off place might be your goal.
Some lofty peak your play.

And when the sands of time run thin,
Those final grains might say,
Please God, he begs one final task
To close this earthly stay.

Then clouds will serve as silent stairs.
Soft winds will show the way.
To reach the stars, to touch the sky,
To close that final day.

From “Sunshine and Shadows,” a collection of poems by Jack Greene. Published in the May, 1981, issue of “Soaring” magazine.