Beach
Yarmouth Heaven
Click for meditationRegarding "Yarmouth Heaven"
The Kingdom of God
Resides quietly within us, but we do
Not have to search very far
On this earthen plane to see
A physical replica of its ramparts,
Or to experience its
Transformative peace.
Such manifestations of the
Kingdom occur around us in
The day-to-day beauty of Creation,
Even in a photograph of the
Beauty of Creation, such
As when I was recently shown a
Picture of a wonderful
Vista in the Cape Cod town
Of Yarmouth. Beauty
Is certainly in the eye of the
Beholder, and the eye
Which took the photograph
Saw it…and thankfully shared
Its splendor and heavenly
Message with me.
Leo Carroll
October 3, 2018
And so there in front of me —
Pink-sprinkled rosa rugosa — that sweet,
Wild shrub which blooms best
At the edge of a salt sea…and then
Beyond it, a sailboat at ease,
With a channel buoy guiding blue
Waters into the safe sheepfold and harbor of
Psalm Twenty Three…and then e’en
Further beyond, in the perfect image
Of September on ol’ Cape Cod,
A little beach beckoning, hoping in
Awe my thoughts to pause.
Ode to Seashells
Click for meditationRegarding "Ode to Seashells"
I love seashells.
They have so many shapes
And curves, so many
Edges smooth but yet still being
Smoothed, so innocent
But yet so strong,
Strong enough to have
Withstood roiling
Riptides, and yet gentle
Enough to lie as a feather
In the flesh of a palm,
So many stories to
Tell, so many waves which tried
To crush them asunder,
So many channel buoys
Ringing in their ears,
So many nameless beaches
Which showcased them in splendor,
So many hands which might
Have picked them up, and then
Passed them along — until
They came to where I am, and
My eyes in another’s
Palm gaze them upon.
Leo Carroll
August 13, 2018
How came you to
Be in her hand, so that to me
She would you give,
My flesh to become soon your
New plane of sand,
Your thin frailness
To become my strength…
Each to the other
To the other…all having
As their source the
Unremitting pounding
And smoothing you once
Withstood — upon an
Anointed shore I tremble to even
Set my pilgrim’s foot!
My Feet
Click for meditationRegarding "My Feet"
There is a small tidal pond,
Naturally preserved, perfect in its
Primordial soul, perfect
In its willingness to serve. And so I found myself
There, immersed in what it
Had to offer, my toes
Intermingled with periwinkles,
And scrubbed by ‘knotted wrack,’
Itself undulating ’round
Smoothed stones,
And then over.
Leo Carroll
September 17, 2018
My feet, each being washed
Clean by the patient primordial sea in healing,
Each little wave lapping as if a
Water pitcher poured down, each smoothed
Stone one of the steps I was
Shown when my life I was
Searching to be found, each
Gentle ocean sponge to exfoliate
My flesh in consonance with
The universe’s care…yes, my feet, and
By these cold Maine gifts they
Are bathed, as if this tidal
Pond’s purpose was to soothe all
They had to bear…
Sailboat
Click for meditationRegarding "Sailboat"
To be free,
To be carried by the wind
Uncaringly, to
Cast your lot with
Fate and to let the tides
Caress you with
No fear, because you
Have decided to
Be free, the air in your
Hair and the
Air imbibed like
Quenching, wheat beer…
Ah, yes, free,
Answering to no one
But Mariah the Wind, and she
Turns her gaze
Towards you and asks,
“Why not come
Here, where the sails
Are topped for your life
To live?”
Leo Carroll
July 9, 2018
There rides my
Daydream, sailing towards and
Away from me,
Gracefully,
Effortlessly,
And then gone it is
Beyond a jutting shoreline,
Where it disappears
For a moment behind
A teasing veil…but then back,
I see it, back, tacking
Towards a little
Summer isle, appearing
To slow offshore
A small, sandy beach,
Contemplating,
Pausing, deciding whether
To dip its masts
Towards me — and from
Afar show a
Promising smile!
Footsteps
Click for meditationRegarding "Footsteps"
Anyone who
Has gone to the beach has
Probably had the experience
Of seeing footprints
In the sand, and wondering
Whom these might have
Belonged to? This
Frequently happens to
Me, especially when I
See footprints which retrace
The very same steps I
May have made. I wonder whom
They belonged to,
Perhaps a never-known
Soul mate, a person
Interested in the same
Things I am, a person on a
Similar pilgrim’s quest, a person
Seeking advice, guidance,
And the precious
Reassurance of Creation’s
Understanding and acceptance?
Footsteps, footsteps, that is
What they do to me –
Reminding me I am not
Alone on this plane
I walk, but instead that I
Retrace the common steps of
All humanity — in what
They seek, and of what they
Would talk…
Leo Carroll
July 23, 2018
Sitting
On the beach with
Someone else’s footsteps…wondering,
Musing what they were
Seeking…? Down to the
Water’s edge they solemnly went,
Down to find the
Answer to their
Prayer’s “amen.”
“Who were they,
Who, who?” I plead.
“Their flesh is now just indented
Sand where once they
Meekly walked,
Someone, someone who
Came this beach,
And someone about the
Tides with whom I could have
Talked…”