I see my mind as a tapestry woven through with memories, dreams and thoughts.

Sunday 25 September 2011

Sunday Snippet


Photograph from 'The beauty of Ireland' published by Gill and Macmillan


OLD ROADS

L E A N Ni C H U I L L E A NA ( B O R N 1 9 4 2)

Missing from the map, the abandoned roads
Reach across the mountain, threading into
Clefts and valleys, shuffle between thick
Hedges of flowery thorn.
The grass flows into tracks of wheels,
Mowed evenly by the careful sheep;
Drenched, it guards the gaps of silence
Only trampled on the pattern day.
And if, an odd time, late
At night, a cart passes
Splashing in a burst stream, crunching bones,
The wavering candle hung by the shaft
Slaps light against a single gable
Catches a flat tombstone
Shaking a nervous beam in a white face
Their arthritic fingers
Their stiffening grasp cannot
Hold long on the hillside —
Slowly the old roads lose their grip.

5 comments:

steven said...

aguja i was trying to think of what i would give to be walking along the track in that picture!!!! steven

Paulita said...

That photo with the cloud hanging low over the ridge is breathtaking. Thanks for sharing.

L'Adelaide said...

this is stunningly beautiful and the words make me see it all....thank you!xxx

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

I love how you makes pictures come alive through words.

aguja said...

Thank you so much for your comments. Enjoy more of Ireland whilst I am away in England.