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I run across a landscape
Of a soft and changing terrain
Rarely twice the same shape
I am unchanged by the rain

Some know me short,
Some know me long,
Some see me only in port
For some I don't belong

The older you get, the longer you live
The more likely it is to meet me
And the gift you receive I always give
A moment in time saved for memory

What am I?

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  • $\begingroup$ C'mon, I've figured it out just from the title ;) $\endgroup$
    – Mark Segal
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 21:52

12 Answers 12

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Are you

a scar?

I run across a landscape
Of a soft and changing terrain

Your skin

Rarely twice the same shape

Every scar is unique

I am unchanged by the rain

Unlike some other personal features like hairstyle.

Some know me short,
Some know me long,

Scars can be long or short. Or, talking about time, the trauma that causes them could be fatal (i.e. known only for a short time).

Some see me only in port

Not sure

For some I don't belong

Some people accept their scars in their self image, others feel marred by them.

The older you get, the longer you live
The more likely it is to meet me

Scars are the result of life experiences

And the gift you receive I always give
A moment in time saved for memory

Scars are a reminder of a certain event, like a trauma, a child birth, an operation, etc!

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    $\begingroup$ Nice job, My expected answer... $\endgroup$
    – user29679
    Commented Sep 28, 2016 at 5:38
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    $\begingroup$ The answer on "some see me only in port" is pirates have scars? $\endgroup$
    – Wouter
    Commented Sep 28, 2016 at 8:31
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Are you:

The Horizon

I run across a landscape
Of a soft and changing terrain

The horizon is across each landscape and changes if you turn your head from left to right.

Rarely twice the same shape
I am unchanged by the rain

However you look, you'll never see the exact same horizon. Rain doesn't change the look of the horizon

Some know me short,
Some know me long,

Horizon' refers to the length of time involved in the investor's strategy for keeping his money in play. An investor with a short horizon wishes to invest his money for only a relatively short time.

Some see me only in port
For some I don't belong

TCP/IP ports are open on a VMware Horizon View Virtual Desktop

The older you get, the longer you live
The more likely it is to meet me

Expand your own horizon to live longer. BBC Program

And the gift you receive I always give
A moment in time saved for memory

Beautiful horizon. (Pictures people take, sunset for example across the horizon )

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    $\begingroup$ I think the seeing in port part refers to people living in port-side cities where high-rise buildings occlude the horizon, so they only see it when at the beach. $\endgroup$
    – Aurel Bílý
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 22:02
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    $\begingroup$ "TCP/IP ports are open on a VMware Horizon View Virtual Desktop"... nice. $\endgroup$
    – Mateen Ulhaq
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 23:50
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Different kind of answer this time:

you are a CHILD.

I run across a landscape
Of a soft and changing terrain

Children running across the grass.

Rarely twice the same shape

Children grow and change as they get older.

I am unchanged by the rain

Children are willing to play in the rain as well as the sun.

Some know me short,
Some know me long,

People might know a child either when they're young or when they're older and taller.

Some see me only in port

A parent who's a sailor might only get to see their child when their ship is in port.

For some I don't belong

Some people don't want to have children.

The older you get, the longer you live
The more likely it is to meet me

Older people are more likely to have children.

And the gift you receive I always give
A moment in time saved for memory

Having children gives you precious memories to save up.

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  • $\begingroup$ This is probably it $\endgroup$
    – Beastly Gerbil
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 12:47
  • $\begingroup$ @BeastlyGerbil The last four lines were what put this into my mind: it seems to fit those better than any of the other answers here, even though it's not quite such a good fit for some of the earlier lines. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 12:50
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Answer:

Cloud

I run across a landscape

On the sky

Of a soft and changing terrain

Rarely twice the same shape

nearly imposible two clouds with the same exact shape

I am unchanged by the rain

Clouds are above rain

Some know me short,

Some know me long,

Some see me only in port

There are a lot of possibilities

For some I don't belong

When you want to get a tan

The older you get, the longer you live

The more likely it is to meet me

Rarely nobody dies without have seen a cloud in their lifes

And the gift you receive I always give

rain, makes the plants grow

A moment in time saved for memory

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  • $\begingroup$ You didn't answer or forgot to answer for the last line. $\endgroup$
    – Buffer Over Read
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 12:28
  • $\begingroup$ @TheBitByte yeah ... I'm thinking about it. not sure yet $\endgroup$
    – lois6b
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 12:29
  • $\begingroup$ Also, you said "rarely nobody dies without seeing a cloud, but I disagree. Some people may die indoors, in places with no windows perhaps, and thus cannot see any clouds. $\endgroup$
    – Buffer Over Read
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 12:31
  • $\begingroup$ I meant, in their lifes, not at the dying moment $\endgroup$
    – lois6b
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 12:31
  • $\begingroup$ So, did you intend to mean like "the older you get, the more clouds you might see"? This is not necessarily true. $\endgroup$
    – Buffer Over Read
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 12:32
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You are:

a sea tide or sea waves

I run across a landscape, Of a soft and changing terrain

A tide passes over the beach

Rarely twice the same shape

The shape of each tide is different. There are least chances that two tides have same shape.

I am unchanged by the rain

Rain cannot effect tides.

Some know me short, Some know me long

Some tides are short and some are long

Some see me only in port

Sometimes tides occur at ports

For some I don't belong

Tides have no relationship with one another

The older you get, the longer you live

Long tides travels several miles

The more likely it is to meet me

We are eager to swim in tides

And the gift you receive I always give

enjoyment

A moment in time saved for memory

A picture of beach with tides

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I think you are:

A wave

I run across a landscape
Of a soft and changing terrain
Rarely twice the same shape
I am unchanged by the rain

The first verse can refer to the ocean or large body of water.
Waves run across them, and rain cannot change them.

Some know me short,
Some know me long,
Some see me only in port
For some I don't belong

Radio waves - some are short, some are long.
Some people only see ocean waves when visiting a port.
Not sure about the don't belong, but I'm guessing microwaves or cellphone radio which some people think is detrimental to health.

The older you get, the longer you live
The more likely it is to meet me
And the gift you receive I always give
A moment in time saved for memory

Humans wave to each other, usually to say goodbye.
The longer you live, the more often you wave to someone
This is a moment in time, often savoured with a tinge of sadness.
The gift is the memory of a visit coming to an end. (e.g.: Remembering waving goodbye the last time you saw a grandparent before they died.)

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I think it could be

sunlight

I run across a landscape

Sunlight spreading from the horizon across the land

Of a soft and changing terrain
Rarely twice the same shape

it is changed by the clouds and hills

I am unchanged by the rain

Rain doesn't wash it away

Some know me short,
Some know me long,

different lengths

Some see me in only in port
For some I don't belong

walls would block sunlight

The older you get, the longer you live
The more likely it is to meet me

more chance of seeing it

And the gift you receive I always give
A moment in time saved for memory

it is a beautiful sight

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  • $\begingroup$ Good guess, but not it! $\endgroup$
    – user29679
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 12:18
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    $\begingroup$ @rsp If this is not it, then your riddle could potentially be too broad. Please edit it to ensure only a single answer is possible. $\endgroup$
    – Buffer Over Read
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 12:29
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I think you're:

The shoreline or waterline

I run across a landscape
Of a soft and changing terrain

Beaches are usually soft and often change quite rapidly

Rarely twice the same shape

but random chance means it's always different

I am unchanged by the rain

but changed by the tides, this also gives the water theme while excluding rivers and lakes which are changed by the rain

Some know me short,
Some know me long,

If you live on a small island there's not much shoreline or you could be looking at miles of golden sands.

Some see me only in port

You will see the shoreline in port, some will only see the sea there, some will only see the land there if they live at sea.

For some I don't belong

some people never see the sea

The older you get, the longer you live
The more likely it is to meet me

but most people eventually do

And the gift you receive I always give
A moment in time saved for memory

Who doesn't remember a day out at the seaside

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Are you

Rivers

I run across a landscape Of a soft and changing terrain

Old rivers fill their valleys with soft and changing alluvial sediments; the Delmarva peninsula is an example of such terrain

Rarely twice the same shape

I can spend hours looking at the ancient riverbed swirls, meanders and oxbows of river courses. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxbow_lake#/media/File%3ASonghuaRiver_ASTER_20020401.jpg

I am unchanged by rain

When it rains the river is just as wet, though this is my weakest clue since rain can swell and flood a river, changing it

Some know me short, Some know me long,

Rivers come in all sizes

Some see me only in port

River mouths are natural harbors. The biggest ports in the world are on rivers: Rotterdam and the Rhine, NYC and the Hudson, Shanghai and the Yangtze

For some I don't belong

Dams can divert or stop a river flow. Floods are unwanted.

The older you get, the longer you live The more likely it is to meet me

Older rivers tend to be broader and cut water gaps or capture tributaries making them larger features on the terrain, more likely to be encountered

And the gift you receive I always give A moment in time saved for memory

Alluvial deposits capture fossils in sedimentary layers. This is how shales and mudrocks form https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudrock

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I started from the end.

The older you get, the longer you live
The more likely it is to meet me

the older yoou are the more likely it is to meet death

And the gift you receive I always give

everyone has to die, so everyone gets teh gift of death

A moment in time saved for memory

if you die your death is memorized 

Some know me short,
Some know me long,

there are multiple ways to die, some take some time, some are suddenly

Some see me only in port

there are people, who fear the death in special places (port may be home, maybe the port to the world)

For some I don't belong

there are people who ignore teh existance of death

I run across a landscape
Of a soft and changing terrain

death is everywhere and everytime, but so the times change the world 

Rarely twice the same shape

everyone has his individual death

I am unchanged by the rain

death comes at sunshine or rain

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I think it is.

Alcohol

I run across a landscape

Grape, barley, hops and such

Of a soft and changing terrain

Different alcohol requires different environments

Rarely twice the same shape

Comes in a variety of formats

I am unchanged by the rain

Water does not break down alcohol

Some know me short,

Shortz, shots

Some know me long,

Long island ice tea

Some see me only in port

Port Wine

For some I don't belong

People who don't drink

The older you get, the longer you live The more likely it is to meet me

There is a drinking age limit

And the gift you receive I always give A moment in time saved for memory

Memories of a good time? hmmmmm

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Are you

A house/the concept of home?

I run across a landscape
Of a soft and changing terrain

Houses/homes can be built just about anywhere. Neighborhoods tend to "run across a landscape".

Rarely twice the same shape

Everyone's house is unique in some way, whether it's the overall shape or the furniture/people within.

I am unchanged by the rain

Houses are built to withstand the rain.

Some know me short,
Some know me long,

Some people bounce from home to home. Others stay in the same place for generations.

Some see me only in port

Sailors who don't consider a ship their "home" would only see their home/house in port.

For some I don't belong

By choice (i.e. nomads) or circumstance, some people don't have a home.

The older you get, the longer you live
The more likely it is to meet me

You're more likely to establish a home as you get older, often for financial reasons.

And the gift you receive I always give

The comfort given by a nice home.

A moment in time saved for memory

Homes are where most people will make a majority of their memories.

I lost faith in this answer as I was writing it, but I'm committed at this point.

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