The Dip

I cannot go yet…for I have not sat at a sidewalk café in Paris, sipped wine and watched the beautiful people stroll by. Wait…it is not time…for I have not stood at the rail of the ferryboat and looked up at the Statue of Liberty. There is still time…time to ease back in the lushness of the limousine seat, anticipating the curtain rising on a Broadway play.

I cannot go yet…I have not listened to God enough, nor prayed enough. Give me more time…time to hug my children fiercely to my heart and promise my love forever.

If I must go soon, let me watch the geese in strict formation heading south once again. Let me soak up once more the colors in God’s crayon box in the leaves of fall. I will not be ready until I touch the hands of my friends

I cannot go yet…for I have not finished the last verse of the song…the last chapter of the book…the punch line of the joke…the last stanza of my poem. I am not finished with the dance…my heart still full of the music. Let me dance to the end of the pavilion, circling, swaying, in love with love. Wait…I cannot go until the music ends and I’ve been dipped.