On the beach
Her voice cuts sharply through the haze
'Come in, come here with me:
the water’s lovely; just see!'
Stepping back, I run hard and jump
adjusting my angle,
the dive becoming a bomb.
If the sea proves itself freezing,
as I know it will, I’ll make sure
God gets well and truly soaked.
Essential baggage
Trudging up the icy hill
to visit someone nearing death
I become aware of my poverty,
of the little I bring with me.
Pausing to gather strength,
I blow my fingertips
as if to warm my courage
and kindle my heart.
The reassuring voice:
'You carry nothing
but love
in your bag'
(with thanks to Stevie Strang)
Andy Delmege is an Anglican parish priest serving in outer estate parishes in Birmingham. A sabbatical walk to Santiago de Compostela kindled a developing interest in pilgrimage and has led to the blog pilgrimpace. Andy enjoys walking, cycling, reading and writing in his spare time. He was a founder member of the Society of Sacramental Socialists.
