A Walk Along What I Thought was Dublin Bay

Morning Thursday Bottom of Howth Road At the seafront All quiet and bluesky And there at water's edge I walked and watched, But in a blink There at water's edge Was soul's edge And I was afraid Of losing my balance And falling in At least, this morning Thursday, Both Dublin Bay and my soul Were not mirror-smooth Thank God Or I would have had to look And see, all too clearly, me Not sin-free, All of those of commission, and omission Staring back at me This used to be just Dublin Bay, Not so, though, this morning Here at soul's edge Truth-in-the-water time Dare I stop and really see? And if I did fall in, Would I sink down and be damned Or be washed and forgiven? Guilty or absolved? Probably both "Go in peace and sin no more" Leaving me wet and shivering And drying some in the breeze Back from soul's edge, Which used to be On a former day Just Dublin Bay.