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14th Anniversary Edition, Live Encounters Poetry & Writing Volume Five Nov-Dec 2023.
A thousand dips, poem by Amy Abdullah Barry.
A thousand dips
One quiet morning,
my electric gate doesn’t work:
Joe’s dairy cows stray
like errant schoolchildren
through my garden.
There must be a hundred,
all trampling my lawn,
wild
as a herd
from some old cowboy movie.
They sink into my two ponds
deepest corners,
churning their water sepia
like the stirring of teabags.
Even the fountain sculptures tumble.
Their hoof prints are six inches deep.
Joe fills the holes,
re-seeding each with a generous scatter.
I am doubtful when he says,
‘The lawn will heal again.’
In time,
I accustom myself to the sight
of a thousand dips among the green.
© Amy Abdullah Barry
Amy Abdullah Barry is published widely. Featured in Breaking Ground Ireland. Her poems have been translated into many languages including Italian, Persian, Turkish, Azerbaijani and Spanish. Chosen for the Poetry Ireland Introduction Series 2022. A travel lover, she is the founder of Global Writers. Amy has been awarded literature bursaries from the Arts Council and Words Ireland. She is a professional member of The Irish Writers Centre and, an Honorary member of the Pablo Neruda Association, Italy. She regularly organises poetry & music events in her hometown, Athlone. She has performed her work in Ireland and internationally. ‘Flirting with Tigers’ is her debut collection of poems published by Dedalus Press. https://www.dedaluspress.com/product/flirting-with-tigers/
Excellent poem. A poem to read again and again.
Many thanks Bernadette for the read & comments. Amy x