#5 I Do Not Build With Sand

I am a solitary hermit in a field of confusion;

I remain past the dusk emitting disillusion;

I am the one who understands;

For I do not build with the sand.

My value is undeniably less than a grain;

Yet in the storm I am not the one who feigns

Integrity. I am the solidarity of the land;

For I do not build with the sand.

When the sun does shine, they carve gilded spires;

Gold mammoth palaces, laid upon their pyres.

But I will be safe when tide strikes strand;

For I do not build with the sand.

When the wind comes calling, where is your refuge?

When the hail shrieks curses, you find no blameable deluge;

Your castles are bleak: on illusions you stand;

For that is why I do not build with the sand.

Behind them are grand houses, colours ablaze;

They boast vast vineyards, all are transiently fazed;

But mortar of ego, bricks of brittle pride;

All do crumble when reckoning arrives

Just like the castles, they are a living death;

Singing silent screams, awaiting their last breath.

At the setting of the sun, they are grey all around;

As if they were built from the same sand.

Then comes the awakening, the storm finds its prey;

Castles and palaces lay in disarray.

The kings of the beach flee now forgotten;

Their wrecked creations are all they had begotten

The dawn finds the shore swept smooth and clean;

Freshly bequeathed for new folly to be seen.

My still dark attire, my isolated brand;

I am the one who did not build with the sand.

I continue to shape my lone stone sequel;

The fools of the past, they were never truly evil.

But in their futile formations, they now understand;

For never to build with the sand.

‘Solitary in Sand.’ Photographed by Wafi Ali

This poem is a relentless argument for building our legacies in this world on strong foundations. It urges us to critically analyse the true impact of our lifestyles. We must question whether our actions are based on false assumptions, not just regarding people, but organisations, governments and our own biases. The poem does not advocate for tearing down our lives to first principles, but it pleads us to identify the solid stones of truth, integrity and impact that are the building blocks for an enduring legacy.