Poem: I will not rush by by John Predmore, SJ

Too often I have rushed by you,
doing many things about you,
for you.
Meanwhile I’ve missed you
and searched for you,
but now
I know you are here.
You always were.
You’ve always wanted me.
You’ve tried to get to me,
But I passed by.
I am here
And so are you.
I won’t go
(Maybe I will –
sooner than I want.)
As I’m learning to stay by your side
without moving
without running away.
You overwhelm me though you try not to.
I’m frightened of who I might find inside myself,
but I’m in your great stillness.
You affirm me
and ask me to stay
and I feel the tingle in the tips of my toes
that makes me want to reach up to you,
but I’m just sitting
on a rock
in the sun
by the beach
beaming that you remain by my side.