Building On The Sand

They are building high-rises on the sand,
while the powers that be look the other way.
Denying that water will take over the land;
that a monster storm could develop any day.

What do they expect to pass?
As their buildings shall not rise as a ship’s hull;
Instead they will shatter like fragile glass;
and any person who invests is a deceived gull.

Yet they continue to build more and more,
as enormous income there must be.
But when the water rushes ashore,
it will certainly all be washed out to sea.

"Progress" will not permit them to go far
away from the water that flows so deep.
Only the lack of available shoreline will bar
further development, as on building they keep.

Prompted by dVerse host Laura Bloomsbury:

• writing an alternate rhyme poem of at least 3 stanzas
• the rhyme scheme is ABAB; CDCD; EFEF etc.
• We are going to borrow the alternate rhyme pairs from a published poem
• in the order they were written
• either a famous poem or one of our own previously published
• do cite the source (or even post with the original in parallel)

I chose the following poem by Robert Frost:

Neither Out Far Nor In Deep

The people along the sand
All turn and look one way.
They turn their back on the land.
They look at the sea all day.

As long as it takes to pass
A ship keeps raising its hull;
The wetter ground like glass
Reflects a standing gull.

The land may vary more;
But wherever the truth may be---
The water comes ashore,
And the people look at the sea.

They cannot look out far.
They cannot look in deep.
But when was that ever a bar
To any watch they keep?