At the bookstore checkout
I asked the manager
if there were any more copies
of Levertov’s
“Sands of The Well”.

He motioned to a young man
standing near the counter.
“He just bought the last one.”

The young looked at me and said,
“Here, take it.”
“But you’ve already paid the price”
I protested.
“It is a gift,” he said.

All eyes turned to me.
“I don’t deserve this gift”
I thought to myself.

Another customer explained
that Robbie always did stuff like that,
“random acts of kindness.”

I accepted the gift with thankfulness
and wondered,
“Is this how Peter felt when Jesus washed his feet?”

And at the final day
will I ask, “is there any more forgiveness?”
only to hear
the manager say,
“Jesus bought it all”

Will Jesus say,
“Here, take it.”
Will I protest
“But you’ve already paid the price”?
Only to hear
“It’s a gift”

Will the prayer of humble access come to mind
as others explain
that Jesus always did stuff like that,
“random acts of kindness”.