Huge wooden houses stand 

On top of the sand

Stilts are like toothpicks beneath all that wood 

Skeletons, like legs that have run too far 

There’s nothing to show for the ones that once stood 

Monstrous waves peak at the first floor 

They keep chipping away till nothing’s there anymore

Yeah, the ocean can eat a million dollars 

Or however much it wants 

It doesn’t care who cries or hollers

Tides and storm surge are the price  you pay for the oceanfront 

Are the windows boarded?

It doesn’t matter

You can’t hang on to what you’ve hoarded

Jetties and more sand and more dunes will never do 

We’re all old houses on the shorefront 

Skeletons and toothpicks 

What is it you want?

As the ground beneath you shifts

The tide will take away any gifts

Nothing’s ever yours, anyway

Know where you’re standing 

Before the insatiable ocean takes you away