Span

Span

From bank to bank, spanned footway,
safe from sodden grasp
supports my path.
Ancient stones paddle in my stead,
havens for moss and leaching residue,
forcing the meandering stream to pass around.
Mine are not unique strides here,
others, in unnumbered gaits, passed in haste
or stayed a while in contemplation
their visits recorded only in wear and tear
and the smoothing of elbowed handrail.
In this stillness, within the hymnology of birds
and the tiptoeing of water in gentle flow,
days become calmer
thoughts clearer
and the mindful cares of life
drift and eddy in passing ramble.
I may observe this span
from riverbank safety -
contemplating its reason,
the rustic romance of its irregular planks
or the finer points of its engineering.
I may find security knowing it is there
awaiting some cue or defining moment.
But, unless I place my feet upon its back
and my trust upon its strength
it remains an abstract in a gallery
meaningless
as untested faith.