Skipping Rocks
There I was
On the banks of the river
Not with arrows
But rocks in my quiver
Each one plucked carefully
To ride the water
The right mix of skill and gravity
You kept this picture of me
Of the countless you could have chosen
Engaging in an exercise of futility
A moment too simple to be broken
Not one of achievement and success
But one of presence and rest
Dirt on my hands
Wrinkles in my clothes
Hair matted under my cap
This is the image of me you hold
I remember this moment was made by you
You led me there with nothing to do
Beside the still waters
Where a boy can be a boy
Seemingly empty
Yet filled with purpose and joy
Here I am
If a picture is worth a thousand words
How come only one resounds
The longer I look
It only gets more loud
Stay you cry
But I had already left
Ambition and pride producing a theft
Defeated I reply I can’t now
Embarrassed I say under my breath
I have forgotten how
This is who I am
The moment is gone
The past is the past
Hand to the plow
Not looking back
With every impulse fighting
The purity of this act so inviting
Where you want me
What it is like to do nothing
I can’t quite remember
My default is exertion
But what you require is surrender
I’m ready to go back
I’m ready to be led
Ready to rest along that riverbed
To search for that ideal stone
Picking it up with a great smile
Presenting it to you with a hope
Telling you it’ll probably skip for a mile
You nodding with satisfaction
Knowing you have me
With no rival or distraction
Longing to see
Just this without interruption
There I will be
I can’t help but wonder
If these moments are just a shadow
Of a place where you are so present
Your voice drowns out your echo
There a stone is promised
Smooth and white
With a name etched
One that you have made for my sight
You place it in my hand
My true self brought to light
The boy you had and lost
The one who loved skipping rocks
In my palm a familiar feel
No worry or care can steal
Hope spreads like my thumb across the stone
One carved not to be kept but thrown
The weight of it not of burden
But of one that brings freedom
The perfect skipping rock
One that I could never spot
You look at me with great joy
You offer an invitation
Stay my boy
Stay and let it fly
Once again beside the still waters
There true rest I will find
