The Flotsam in the Bay

The Rev. Dr. Paul McKeown

18 August 2015

The Flotsam in the Bay

 

There’s no hurry in a beach walk
it’s an amble, not a stride.
Step out too quickly and you’ll miss
the gifts borne by the tide.

The point is not to get someplace
or clock another mile.
It’s the manner of your travelling
which makes the walk worthwhile.

So let your gaze go wandering
as you stroll along the sand.
And when you find a treasure, pause
and take it in your hand

and wonder at the choice you’ve made.
Why did this speak to you?
This stone, or shell, or piece of glass –
its shimmer, shape or hue?

And why did others pass it by
and leave it in its place?
Because you’re you, and they’re themselves.
Our selfhood is a grace.

And grace it is, when we forget
our names along the way.
To find ourselves again amongst
the flotsam in the bay.

©Paul McKeown
Image Paul McKeown