Letters to you

Assateague Island is a national park on the Atlantic Ocean. Because it is parkland, this area of shoreline has been left untouched for the most part, and is one of my favorite beaches in the MD/VA area.

As you approach the shore the only plants in existence are leathery sand thistles and hearty weeds, and the only bird songs are the raucous cries of gulls as they searched for saltwater fish and mollusks. In late fall, there is a particular beauty that does not occur at other times of year. The sky is often overcast and grey, giving the water a greenish tone. The main features of the terrain are the crashing waves, the wild winds, and the sand.

One of the main reasons I love the ocean is the fact that it is a window into the earth's ancient records... The other reason is the ocean's life.

The water is alive with swimming creatures, ranging from the microscopic organisms to the ocean giants, and the ocean floor is home to millions of lifeforms, many of which are unknown to the namegivers. Even the skeletal remains are alive, because they are imbued with the sunlight and and the moonlight and the ocean spray of many eons. It can be said that the ocean is the birthplace of life, because the first lifeforms may have emerged within its depths.

Many of the ocean's lifeforms are bottom dwellers who have no means of rapidly escaping predators. These have been equipped with armor in the form of shells, and have the ability to dig into the sand. When they die, their shells are eventually washed ashore by the tides, and are left to dry on the beach. After a long time of interaction and erosion by wind, sand, salt, sun, and animals, these tiny ocean exoskeletons break down to form the beautiful sands that are found on the beaches.

I love these little exoskeletons in all their various forms. When they first wash ashore, they make wondrous additions to my ever-growing seashell collection. Even after they are broken apart, they add their vibrant colors to the seashore. Once they decompose into sand, they form a delightful carpet on which one can walk and enjoy the waves.

The ocean is not only life, but death as well. It is an all-encompassing cradle of creation and destruction (like the nebulae and the centers of galaxies, only much more accessible). It is a cauldron into which we can step and experience life and death simultaneously.