Sojourn In St Andrews ©

by Robbie Kennedy Bennett
(Codsall)

Walking along the historical streets of St Andrews,
I love to leisure timelessly.
I stroll on beyond the famous Old Course
And absorb the wash of the sea.

The sound of the ocean is tranquil
And the springtime weather is mild,
I’ve so much too learn about life and belonging
I feel like a newborn child.

The coastal grey stones
Break the waves by the shore,
I stand and admire
Like my forefathers before.
Did they walk the same streets?
Stand in the same place,
Hear the waves crash,
Feel the wind in their face.

In thought I pass the family divide,
My feelings are stirring deep down inside.
What’s in my character?
And inside my blood,
Is there anything of value or misunderstood.

Images appear in my picturesque mind,
They tempt and they tease
Are they being unkind?
Ancestors before with faces unknown,
By this sea and this land
Seeds they have sown.

Strolling back and forth to Shorehead,
The castle for a while mesmerised me.
This ruin contends the test of time,
And still stands proud majestically.

Tis like an old parent with the sense to protect,
Even though their prime has long gone.
The elements surpass this armoury of stone,
And pilgrims still appear to look on.
My ancestors would have seen this too,
The Cathedral and the coastal view.
Ancient steps to an image of a door,
The sea as it blankets the rocky shore.

Along the east coast
I gaze with a naked eye,
Hills far away change shades of their colour
As the sun breaks a cloudy sky.
The Firth of Tay is over the horizon
Too far for me to see,
Blue skies are afar
A sunny day up in Dundee.

A stroll by the coast at St Andrews
Is a walk back in time for me,
Of all of the sands I have trod in my years
This is the shore I should be.

These thoughts as I pass the family divide,
Is there more than St Andrews stirring inside?
Bennet and Kennedy, Cramond and Traill,
With roots all around I shall prevail.

One day will I hold another by hand?
One day if I tell them will they understand?
There’s a spiritual call to this coast, this shore,
I’m part of this land, a Bennet and more.