Christopher Roe’s poem Silence appeared here in May 2011. You’ve been this boy before, haven’t you?
The skipping stone
By Christopher Roe
By Christopher Roe
Jagged edges of its creation
tumbled smooth by the waves,
over eons, lying forgotten by time
on the sandy shore.
Passing footsteps over the years
ground deeper into the sand
in time to be reborn
in the tide’s relentless embrace.
A smooth, flattened oval of history
as old as the earth itself
gray witness to the forces of Nature,
patiently awaiting its destiny.
It catches a young boy’s eye
who stoops to pick it up,
this new gray stone treasure
with several creamy stripes.
Hefting it, the boy decides
the balance and symmetry
are the ideal proportions
for a skipping stone.
He takes a step toward the sea
and with a side arm whip
sends the stone skipping
over the welcoming waves.
The stone skips across the water
leaving a trail of expanding circles
where it kissed the waves
like a long lost lover.
It sinks from sight and memory
and begins its slow journey,
abrasively wave-tumbled,
back to the distant shore.
One day another boy will stumble
upon its functional beauty
and the process will be repeated;
tumbling, skipping, tumbling again.
Until one day the skipping stone
will itself be tumbled into sand
to feed the shore and help shape
future stones for skipping.
I loved this vivid poem.
Oh to be that lazy for one day!