Beauty and the beholder

There it lay on the sands of the beach
A precious stone amidst worthless shards
On its outside, scars from the rough waves
Inside, a brilliance beyond words

On that beach one day walked a girl
Whose search for inspiration along the shore
Ended when she picked up the stone and saw
A beauty that no one had seen before

At that moment it was hard to say
Which was brighter - the sparkle of the stone,
Or the glint in the eyes of the girl
Because she could call that gem her very own

The devotion of an admirer is sometimes as beautiful as the object being admired itself. There is beauty indeed in the eyes of the beholder.

October 23rd, 2010.

On a somewhat related note, here is an old poem of mine from many years ago.

Goddess in Stone

I search for beauty, day and night
To quench my restless and thirsty mind
I drink from every brook I find
But I am still thirsty, I know not why

Then I see her, a goddess in stone
In the middle of a forest, standing alone
Ah, my heart, with joy it leaps
And lands itself right at her feet

Her cold eyes (as cold as stone can be)
Tainted by no feelings, desires, or need
Have a pristine beauty that only I can see
That makes my heart dance with glee

The world thinks I am insane
To waste my life at the feet of a dame
Who cannot love me the way I do
Who cannot say "I am yours too"

But I do not expect the stone to melt
Just to worship at her feet I am content
All of myself I offer at her feet
In the ocean of love I forget I was ever thirsty

August 26th, 2006.