Break Through The Sky

To kick start song ideas I’ll often start with a narrative reflection. I intentionally load the prose with objects, sense imagery, similes and the like. These then provide some of the raw ingredients that eventually get mixed into the final lyric. Read the reflection then for grins take a gander at the final lyrics for “Break Through The Sky” written just a few days later. Please leave notes in the comments where you similarities, omissions and/or deviations. Thanks for reading.

Sea Glass (6/25/2025)

“Scanning across the window ledge, pale blue paint fading beneath the sill, rests a parade of vibrant colored glass. All harvested from the edge of the sea. Some still retain the wet sheen of the ocean from which they came; others dulled to pumice by the endless washing and tumbling of the tides. The little beach cottage holds a private gallery to view a curated universe. The discards of legions of beer bottles, mason jars and marine lamps tell a multi-colored story. In their own way these humble artifacts compete with the coveted jeweled glass of Murano. But while most of us see the rainbow of colorful shards, a closer look rewards us with multiple dimensions to their story. Something deeper, personal and more profound.

Each of these gems was foraged by hand. A careful eye sought each one out. Or the timing of the ever changing surf revealed another at the precise time of the seeker’s walk. The walking forager blessed not only with keen eye but with a vision for how the many individual pieces create a new and mesmerizing whole. Blue is the most desired color; deep ruby red perhaps the most rare. The muted shades of green whose luster comes alive with a slight rub of coconut oil in the hand. The copious amounts of brown glass gives a heft and weight to the entire collection serving the critical role of allowing the other colors to shine even brighter. But upon even closer inspection, when we see the glass through the eyes of the heart, we behold the true beauty of sea glass: like an ocean abacus it recounts the hundreds of beach walks required to gather such an impressive collection.

Each piece holds the wonder of our feet treading over soft sand, cobbles, eel grass, and driftwood in equal measure. We remember the kneeling, bringing our eyes and our ears closer to the wet sand and surf revealing ever deeper universes to explore. We hear the tee-tee-tee of the kill deers as she returns to her nest to feed her hatchlings. The heron dipping its long beak into the waters edge miraculously plucking out a sliver of silver fish, and in one continuous motion of rehearsed choreography, flips it into the air and opens its mouth to enfold a delicious, oily, meaty swallow. The endless singing of surf and wind, always in harmony with one another, sometimes gently lapping at our feet and caressing our faces, other times, arms locked onto one another to avoid being blown across the surf, crashing and slipping into the churning sea.

Cloudy days are reserved for strolling; sea glass reveals itself in the light of the sun. High, warming mid-day sun, we look for the sparkles; at dusk the sun’s oblique angle to the shore, scrapes the sand’s surface and reveals the treasures missed during the peak of the day. But ultimately the abundance of sea glass is a direct reflection of the many hours spent together, marveling in the wonders of this coastline, inhaling the salty life-affirming breath that is the sea, looking beyond the horizon and seeing only hope and finally being aware of just how lucky we are to share this one life together by the sea.”