The last excursion
You said hold on to Your damaan
like a child in the marketplace
holds to its mother’s skirt.
I find that when I dawdle,
distracted by the crowd,
enticements in the shop windows
or a shining trifle in the gutter,
You slow Your step to wait for me.
When I run ahead, sure I know the way,
letting go of You in pride and excitement …
or when I tug on Your skirt to direct You
the way I want to go, You keep Your patient,
loving pace and guide me gently toward the goods
we came for and the true road home.
O child of God, hold on to His damaan, until
the last excursion -- when you have come of age.
(from A Jewel in the Dust, 2011)
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