Seeking home

Legend lends a mystery
to the river and its seafall:
sad tales of a drowning daughter,
taken by this relentless river,
the River Corrib:
taken surely unawares,
for this is water that surprises
by its force, apparent anger, and adrenalin.

The source and destination
flatter to deceive.
For all the western weather,
with its wild winds,
the Corrib Lough lies nestled
in the nearby hills,
at times so tranquil
that the silence deafens,
and its beauty blinds.

But soon the secret’s out
and this shortest Irish river
takes you quite by storm:
the speed, the pace, the constant quilting
of the water as it cascades,
headlong and reckless
into Galway Bay.

Even seasoned watchers
wonder at its ferocious force –
wave upon wave upon wave –
working, weaving through the weirs:
the very heartbeat of this vibrant,
vital, festive and fulfilling city.

The clamour then subsides,
calmed by the Claddagh
as the water is made welcome
by the wider sea, folding itself
to smoothness, and –
on a sparkling sunlit day,
or with a gentle song-filled sunset –
sighing sweetly as it finds home.

January 3rd, 2016