Skip to content

Boulders Beach

Boulders Beach I - (to my parents)

on a beach
as old as the stars
i found two pebbles,

rounded, worn, smooth,
side by side, eternity engraved
upon their countenance.

battered yet unbeaten
strong, and open to the sky
no sharpened edge for a child’s passing foot,
holding pieces of the Beginning
in this common material.

a passerby plays carelessly,
a dog lifts his releasing leg,
the waves continue
and continue...

none but the Father knows
the story of the ages
that led to these strong,
weathered facets. none but the Spirit
understands the heart of these minerals.

but i find peace
as they sit together
on my mantelpiece
on a journey they do not fully comprehend
that will not stop today,
nor tomorrow...

holding eternity in my hands,
i marvel at simplicity,
resilient strength,
and a contented Wisdom
that is bigger
and older
than my universe.

Boulders Beach II – (to my daughter)

living droplets of liquid sensuality
reflect happiness onto my insides,
as i jump for joy
under an african amphitheatre.

Liberation!
and i suddenly forget
the grime of my civilized suit,
splashing splendidly
in the place where
the sun glints onto water.

dolphin presences swim by
in a delicious dreamtime,
as a sunny, summer saturday
extends me into before-birth memories
of warm, cosy cushioning,
suggesting that i am - we all are -
seventy percent water, anyway?

reconnecting with cool breezes
and sprinkled sunshine,
and submerged hopes of
staying on this surface for eternity,
my tensions dissolve
and i discover at last
how to let go.

whether its bathtime
or the neighbour’s pool,
or the surf at Boulders waving invitingly,
my body finds the emotional reassurance
of reaching for the sky.

and finally,
a deeper knowledge releases
the tightened fist of the city,
as i discover another childhood -
Remembering Eden...

Boulders Beach III – (to my wife)

at the end of today,
when the pointless tasks have exhausted themselves,
and the hot and bothered details have forgotten their importance,
i shall go paddling where the sand meets the surf,
and feel the peace of the little waves washing
over these tired feet,
away from the busy people.

but then, when i am certain
that no-one is looking,
i shall edge out a little deeper,
hearing with the backs of my knees,
the cool lapping of my call.

finally, with fearless abandon, i shall crash through a breaker,
striking out for beyond normality,
arms and legs energised by the evening,
with the approaching darkness spurring my seeking -
right way out, where the swell rocks and caresses
the newly freed soul.

then, diving into the imagination,
past creamy white, green, blue and indigo,
i shall settle breathing onto the ocean floor,
where my soul-mates sit and listen,
deepwater beings unsuited to turbulence,
musicians, writers, artists in search
of a lasting refuge.

and down here amongst the sea creatures
at the bottom of the world,
i shall yodel a lyric to the lonely,
down here where i can be
baptised in the serenity of truth.

my wife, bach, monet and me,
alone with our total absolutes,
communing in graceful intimacy -
beautifully synchronised
to the slow rhythms
of the immersed mind.

“the roots of the word baptise, are in the Greek ‘baptiso’ – to immerse” – Herbert Syre