ephemeral

[rayheinrich]

Thank you. It wouldn't read right without a comma or period.

The shore beckons,
waves hurl their shells
empty, they leave impermanent prints
before being wiped by the pull
and the push of rising waters.

That "impermanent" bothers me.
"They leave impermanent prints before being wiped" is like saying
"the dish was breakable before it was broken".

I liked the very short lines in the original; maybe not some of the broken words, but
definitely the short lines. I think the rhythm they induce fits the content of the poem.