Sand is a good writing medium. You’ve seen the photos on social media: a drone’s eye view of a marriage proposal or a love note stomped in sand. Advertiser’s use it, too, although their messages in the sand are AI generated, I’m sure. In fact, it’s such a popular concept you can now go to various platforms online and create a greeting card depicting a sand message signed by you!

I prefer writings left in the sand by surf interacting with bits of shell and other beach detritus. One of the photos in my #TrackingTide series is titled “Peace Offering II,” because that’s how I experienced the gentle surf lines and bits of brightly colored shell. (You can see it here: https://edge-essence.com/2021/12/08/adventword-offering/.)

The overlapping, intersecting arcs of Cat’s in the Cradle are a different matter. No peace here. Visually, it reminded me of the string game by the same name, which I tried my best to master and never succeeded!

But it also has a bit of the feel/mood of the haunting song, also by the same name, sung by Harry Chapin. (You can hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUwjNBjqR-c.) Things change, but also repeat themselves endlessly–like surf over sand and humans caught in patterns of behavior that deaden our spirits rather than set us free.

Cat's in the Cradle refrain:

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when
We'll get together then, you know we'll have a good time then"

--Harry Chapin