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Friday Poetry: A Walk Through A Seaside Village POEM

Opportunities to make poetry exist all around us. We must practice being alert to possibility. As a committed traveller, wanderer and explorer, I find ideas in local settings as well as more far flung, some might say, exotic places as well. 

This poem found its origins in a morning walk in Ireland a few years back. I rediscovered it this week and have given it a bit of a polish and a dusting off. Please join me, and a wandering we will go...
Walk Through A Seaside Village

Breakfast failed to fire
The start of a brand new day
Just cindered toast
And hard-boiled egg
To set me on my way
Wandered down the main street
The shops were mostly shuttered
Birds on rooftops
Sat in silent lines
A single pigeon fluttered
Passed a man
With a bristled broom
His doorway keenly clearing
I offered him my morning smile
But he was not for cheering
Circled round a tree-lined park
As a couple did Tai Chi
A lean and hungry mutt took time
To bark and snarl at me
I wandered by the seawall
I felt the ocean spray
The angry, wild waves
Crashed and smashed
As the seagulls turned away
I heard a mermaid singing
Out beyond the rocks
The morning mist was lifting
As I ambled 
Down beside the docks
I returned to where I started
Recalling paths I’d crossed
A cup of coffee beckoned
So, despite the wandering that morn
I clearly wasn’t lost.

Alan j Wright



Consider This:
Think about a walk or a wander, you may have taken. A walk that presented something unexpected, a delight, a surprise. I invite you to go wandering with your words.



Comments

  1. Wow! I felt like I was on that walk with you, Alan. And since the poem was inspired by a walk in Ireland, it's the perfect choice heading into St. Paddy's Day :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Kimberly. If I took you with me, my efforts as a poet have not been in vain. I had not initially made a connection with St Patrick's Day- but yes!

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  2. My second trip to Ireland today, Alan. It is a quiet walk, taking note of the wonders, celebrating the ending. I'm glad you found it to share with us today.

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  3. What a lovely walk! Thank you for sharing it with me. Particularly liked this image: "A lean and hungry mutt took time / To bark and snarl at me" ... though I pray I don't encounter one on my walks.

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    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed the walk and the poem Alice. Dog encounters can be problematic at times...

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  4. I spent time in Ireland last summer for the first time--enjoyed a similarly lonely (but much more friendly!) village. I do think that not getting the response you expect changes the way one looks at things overall.

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    Replies
    1. You're right Heidi. When the experience doesn't quite match the expectation, it heightens both awareness and recall. Sometimes the people aren't being unfriendly though, you are merely another stranger. They are indifferent to your presence and prefer to go about their time honoured routines. Glad you encountered the friendly folk on your visitation.

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  5. A day is never lost if we pay close attention!

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    Replies
    1. Ah, so true Mary Lee. Hence the truism, everything is interesting if we look long enough.

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