Dear Earth,

Here at Big Sur,
your cliffs lean fearless into the Pacific,
letting the waves carve at their edges
as if loss was just another form of shaping.

The highway snakes above,
small and temporary,
while you stay—
ancient, unmoved,
watching centuries roll in with the tide.

You hold both solitude and grandeur
in the same breath.

Thank you for reminding me
that some beauty is built
by surrendering to erosion.

With love,
—Cat Atom