One sunny day I went to the beach
I was soaking in the sun like a deprived solar leach
But the longer I stayed sitting, basking in the heat
The more my mind would wander and soon I left my seat

I walked along the shore, contemplating life
Everything from girls and school cutting like a knife
Through all the beauty and the magic that the beach can hold
My thoughts would conquer everything, they were in control

suddenly I came to realize something was out of place
Between bikinis and surfing dudes there was a blimp on this perfect face
An old man was standing out, staring at the sea
Cane in hand and face quiet bland he distracted me

I stood just staring at this man who was ignored by all the rest
He seemed to study every wave that before death formed a crest
He seemed quite odd but nothing wrong he was just enjoying the view
But in his eyes I saw a truth that no one really knew

His eyes told a story of a life filled with pain
He had lived a long time and he wondered to what gain
The wars, the lies, the families that cried, this man had been a soldier
He had seen the depression and witnessed repression of blacks and women in reflection

All of this i learned from a man of whom I never spoke too
And suddenly he looked at me, His painful eyes stared straight into mine and I felt an odd sensation
I looked to where he had stared And had a revelation

As I looked back to meet this man who I felt special to know
I realized he had disappeared just as the sea flows
I looked around up and down needing to find this man
I needed to thank him dearly for the flame he had fanned

The fire burning in my heart for the problems that I had
Was readily extinguished by the all the things that caused that man such sad
I walked back to the my chair that day in a much more jolly mood
I realized that what I had seen was really just how I was rude

Thinking of myself all that time was actually really mean
Because all the beaches in the world could not provide to that mans need
And although he felt he had no purpose, an arrow with no bow
In reality he taught me more than he would ever know

For prior to him, all my problems were so bad I should have preached
But after him my problems were just a grain of sand on an oh so massive beach