Rock of Ages

There's something about rocks that has always fascinated me
Silent, strong and stoically enduring the ravages of the wind and of the sea
Home to countless creatures above and below the waterline
I often wonder how many millions have they sheltered across the endless span of time.
“Rock of ages cleft for me” has always echoed in my mind.
A salute to the steadfast comfort of the rock, I find.
Giving home to living lichens, splashing pools of scarlet bright as blood
Below the sea the brown seaweed dances in the gentle waves embrace
Still the ancient rocks stand unmoving as the sea rushes at them in tides full flood
Each tiny creature finds a crack, a fissure that for them is their special place
Somewhere safe from predators and the elements when the waves roar and crash
Deep in the rock's safe arms as around them lightning and thunder crash.
Well I remember as a child when I was sad, misplaced, miserable and lonely
I would run to the strong embrace of the tallest rock on my horizon
Clamber up and at once I would feel a safe haven – something meant for me only
Refreshed, I'd leave my friend the rock, once more able to carry on
All those years ago I could well understand how the statue of the little mermaid
Was so serene and calm as she gazed out to sea for eternity, forever unafraid.
As I have passed the years of my life, some of joy, some of strife
Still to the comfort of the giant rocks when in anguish and fear I flee
They have been there to comfort me and hold me in their strong embrace
Be they rocks of sea or rocks of land, they have kept me at ease with my life
Always in the landscape they stand proud but are not a true part of the place
The rugged, inspiring giants are destined to be at heart alone, and in that, are just like me.