I am the beach, but not the sea. I am a castle, but not a king.

I can be crushed into dust or worn in a crown, I can be smoked in the alley by a crackhead downtown. I am older than trees, though I don't have a tongue, And I roll with the music when anthems are sung. A single thin sheet can defeat all my might, But I’ll shatter steel blades if they challenge a fight. What am I ?

In the web of life I'm felt but not seen. Through ripples in time, our paths zig and zag. Pull me, and it can all unravel in a blink.

Snap snap what's that sound? Crunch crunch broken rodent's crown.

I can wrinkle, I can scar, I can change with the years, yet I’m the first line of defense when danger appears.