VISIT TO IRELAND

If you look up
from gazing contentedly
into the sunny clear waters, ­-
watching, absorbed,
the little brown minnows swimming
between the long reeds and grasses
of the bright river,
where the water's dark greens
echo the elms along the bank,
(where, wonderfully,
perched on a bulrush,
a magnificent kingfisher,
in a flash of blue,
is waiting to dive);
and, listening, the gentle sounds
of the crystal water
running over rocks and stones
under a cloudless summer sky
are lovely to the ears, ­ -
you'll see the old stone bridge,
with its five graceful arches
spanning the stream,
silently, miraculously joining
the farmhouse and the village,
making meeting possible.

LAMEYSTRASSE

Standing under a small balcony,
Taking shelter from the drizzle,
He waits. All is still. No steps,
A loaded silence.
Light from a lamp is shining,
Casting a brightness on the falling rain.
Something flickers in the softness
For a moment, then vanishes ­
A moth, attracted by this strange
Whiteness-in-darkness,
A fleck of ethereal silver
Heading to dry.

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