On island

The hush of pre-dawn all around, then hesitant, the first birds sound The chorus builds, the sky grows light. Smells of coffee, voices quiet As the sun begins to kiss the hills, cycle through the morning chill The waves whisper on the shore. High above the seabirds soar We climb through palms and sprawling banyan figs Searching every leaf and every twig Climbing ever higher, shed our cares into the breeze Test our strength and our endurance, far above the sparkling seas Standing high upon a mountain gazing on a dizzying drop We've aching legs and burning lungs but we made it to the top We trudge home as the daylight dies, weary, scratched, but satisfied Triumphant, after our travails, mountain dirt beneath our nails The island draws unto its shores those who love a life outdoors We share our tales into the night, but we rise again at dawn's first light Escaping from the mundane everyday Finding living treasures in fantastical display Climbing ever higher, shed our cares into the breeze Test our strength and our endurance, far above the sparkling seas Standing high upon a mountain gazing on a dizzying drop We've aching legs and burning lungs but we made it to the top And there's beauty's all around us, wherever we cast our eyes A tiny snail clings to a rock face under vast wide-open skies The seabirds wheeling round the mountains uttering their haunting cries The sights and sounds will stay with us, forever in reprise And we know we never will forget this island paradise