HANDIWORK

We arrive at the lake and you emerge to stand upon the wave swept shore,

the loving beauty of my heart and of my dreams.

And you stride in the quiet confidence

borne of your grace and of your style,

lake breezes waft a playful hand through your hair,

a gentle caress for your tresses so fair.

Halting, you study the vastness of the lake.

and gazing in wonder and awe you stand,

soon, crouching to pluck

a solitary seashell that had attracted your eye,

your heart’s true vision in the glimpse of an infinity.

For of all of the crustaceous wonder long buried

amid this endless sea of sand,

you chose this singular grain for its’ unspectacular beauty,

and its’ endearing charm, holding it to your heart.

For in it’s simplicity, you saw the handiwork of God.

Now, years long removed, I often return to that shore, searching

for the faint reminders of you, the loving beauty of my heart and my soul.

The waves, in their persistent cycle, have swept your footprints away

and the eternal sands have been eroded, losing their once golden shimmer.

The wind blows colder and the song of the seas birds

is now the sound of an endless dirge of regret.

I cease my meandering and send

a heartened plea across the vastness of the lake.

For although covered with years of drifted sand

I have rediscovered the beauty that still surfaces,

having long ago been hidden within my heart by you,

that solitary shell.

And in that exact moment, I am enlightened, knowing

you had chosen me for the beauty within me; my tender nature,

and you held me to your heart.

For in my complex simplicity, you had touched the heart

of the handiwork of God.

Walt                                                                                              Photos by Walt Wojtanik