"I Shall Bathe", by Scott M. Roberts

One more, because it is "Other People's Poetry" open mic night at Busboys and Poets, and I want to have a copy of the poem below with me.

It was written by Scott M. Roberts, a writer living here in Virginia, and my favorite living poet. His fabulous site, with lots of hilarious poetry, is Lord of All Fools. I would link to this poem directly on his site, but it's blocked by the firewall. Sorry, Scott.

I Shall Bathe

I've been rolling in dew, running in rain,
But I've never seen a river
Never heard water whisper, in love and in pain,
So deep to my heart that I shiver
And burn.

I've walked in blizzards, and stumbled in mist
But I've never heard the sea.
Never felt the waves around my legs, and reach to kiss
My lips. The hopeful all of me
Licks salt.

I shall not wade.
I shall bathe.

And this dust that I shake into the waves
Dust from snow, and dew, and rain,
May it rest. May it stay lost in the sea of days,
And never see the sky again
Forever.
______
It is Scott's testimony, and it speaks of my own.