Rodney Jones is arguing that once you lose an idea, it is lost forever. He was wading out into the water which represents his thoughts. Then the shout from the beach is someone distracting him from his idea. And he drops it into the water and loses it. Even though he really liked the idea, it is too late to ever get it back. As he says "then the idea I was not finished, then the act of reaching down with the idea I would get it back." This describes him losing his idea.
Thanks for your insightful post! Your interpretation is concise and straightforward. It doesn't seem like you struggled to understand what Rodney was saying in the slightest. I like how you pointed out his use of the word "idea" twice in that sentence. I have a question though... why does he bring up the fact that images aren't as powerful as words in the beginning? And what does the end have to do with this?
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