Did you feel the breeze
on your young cheeks
as you sat on the hillside
and saw the light
ascending to heaven
that night long ago?
Did you know every sheep
that was in your care and
understand your responsibility
as a shepherd and a steward?
Did you feel tired
on the long dusty trails
and the muddy paths?
Did you leave a gentle footprint
in the old earth?
What would you say
if you saw the train
hurtling past your holy island
to Edinburgh or Newcastle?
Or if you saw the lorries and cars
belching carbon on the A1?
We travel quicker now
not walking the dusty trails
But what of our direction
and the footprints we leave behind?
How would you feel
if you saw the tourists
posing for selfies with seals,
who swim away never to return?
What if you saw the litter
lying forlorn on the road?
The dark tarmac covering
the soft green grass you once knew
But the sunrise over Inner Farne
is still breathtaking
and the eider ducks still swim happily,
while the migrating birds still soar free
in the pale Northumbrian sky.
And still there are those who understand.
And footprints in the sand
are washed away by the sea.
Peter Sagar
