STONY CORNER

By Jock Armour

At water’s edge he stands
Atop the moss and peat
The tension starts to leave his hands
As calm laps at his feet

A willow stretches through the sky
To shade this quiet place
A refuge tucked in nature’s heart
That knows not time nor space

The clear blue stream flows day and night
As leaves fall to adorn her
A name revealed when kissed by light
He calls her “Stony Corner”

For like the stones made smooth by travel
The boy has landed here
In times when life starts to unravel
And love fades into fear

The willow speaks through wind and rustle
The boy, he understands
Her words are clear — albeit subtle
She beckons for his hand

And with a plunge, he reaches deep
Beneath the glassy pool
His eyes which once were made to weep
Now glazed calm and cool

For in his fist he holds not stone
But memories of pain
Their callous growth wash from his bones
And through his feet they drain

The stage is set as birds look on
Perched high up in the Forrest
This theatre formed in nature’s round
Send praises from the chorus

With arm coiled back, he plants his step
Tension built from life’s drama
Now finds resolution in water’s depths
As curtains fall on the opera

And still he stands, at water’s edge
No roses at his feet
But beauty felt by letting go
Does surely smell as sweet

As time persists — turns boy to man
Bring lessons to be learned
The stream may dry, rocks turn to sand
And willow someday burned

Fear not, my friends, for none of this
Can ebb heaven and boy apart —
For in our minds lay nature’s kiss
Her water laps at our hearts.

Jock Armour is the director of Signature Gallery in Waikiki, where he introduces local artists to clients from all over the world. His short stories, poetry and screenplays are heavily influenced by his love of the ocean and time spent living abroad in Scotland.

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