She will break you
with an unseen kindness,
rattling your shape
until the brittle fragments
form a destitute mosaic,
a natural, defeated jumble
of broken colours.
And though you fear the piercing power
of these sharp shards,
she laughs with deft hands.
And shakes some more,
knowing you have secret pockets
to hoard your offerings,
persistent in her demands,
confident in her right to steal
what you don’t know how to give;
hers the artistry,
you the sand and water
fused to catch light
and broken for new shimmering.