I stand at the edge of the world
Sea and sand swirling ‘round my feet
Anchored by the weight of the pulling and swelling
Facing outward, toward a monochrome horizon
Ocean and sky barely distinguishable one from the other
A landscape that could have been sketched by a No. 2 pencil.
Hidden in plain view before the sand and the foam
I sing you a song only you can hear within the roar,
A song I’ve known from before I could even pronounce the words
Prayers from my Grandmother’s throat as she rocks me to sleep
A lullaby that lured me into a bigger life than I could possibly imagine.
And as I sing, blowing words into the wind that rush back into my mouth
The clouds shift ever so slightly, a last-ditch effort, it seems,
For a sunny day that has not been,
And I catch glimpses of something beyond
black, white, gray.
A gull’s beak, the color of a yield sign.
How had I missed that?
A soaring pelican with a hint of blue in its wing.
No, wait. Brown. Green.
There it is. Blue again.
Further out, white swimming buoys bob,
Nearly lost in the metallic except for the red icon of danger,
A warning not to be missed,
A signal that there is always something waiting, lurking
Something to be seen.
For if we look
Give ourselves over to standing still,
Paying attention,
Rejoicing in the present, recalling the past, peering ahead.
We are sure to see in all three directions at once.
What have I done?
What am I doing?
What should I do?
For you, maker of monochrome skies that hide rainbows.
For you, creator of gull beaks and pelican wings.
For you, hidden but right before my eyes.
Then sings my soul:
How great thou art.
How great thou art.
Oh so beautiful, Steve! As tears trickle down my face, from something these words touched in my soul, I smile. So much can appear monochrome in our lives, yet within this sameness, His gifts are there, just waiting for our vision to notice, our hearts to feel. Yes, yesterday, today and tomorrow, are with us constantly, and how a moment can be changed when we stop in awareness. God bless your gift, my friend! Just beautiful! Thank you, Steve. Kathleen
I walk each morning to the top of the hill. I live in the mountains of NC. Your beautiful works touched me for I feel the same way on top of the hill. He is so great and so good to us. Thank you for sending those words upward. Barbara
And in the grey mass of people thronging Bethlehem to register for the census and in the darkness of the stable with the monochrome cattle and the mass of tangled straw on the ground in the midst of all this sameness came the Light of the World! Thanks be to God.
Beautifully penned Steve. I read each verse and then close my eyes to ‘see’ your words come to life in my mind’s eye and let my imagination and feelings soar as the words touch my heart. For indeed He is here, there and everywhere if we but pause to experience His Presence, to praise and appreciate the greatness of His Creation all around us.
Thank you for sharing your profound poem.
Warmest regards,
Lily Lee
Thank you! I needed to read this today! A patient of mine referenced your name yesterday. I knew it was divine intervention.
Angelynn