Live Encounters Poetry & Writing January 2026.
Ganga to La Croix, poems by Bernadette Gallagher.
Ganga to La Croix
I
We talk of the river as if we know her
but we only know her
as we know a sister, brother, spouse
at a certain time and place.
In Varanasi, city of the living
where many go to die
we sit and look at her
from sunrise to sunset
wash our clothes, ourselves,
take a boat to the other side
take our leave.
II
We talk of the river as if we know her
but we only know her at certain points
at Afton, where a turtle looks for food
before sunrise, a boat floats in the fog
men stand with fishing rods held taut.
This river that meanders into the Mississippi
carries south where we meet again
at New Orleans.
Like family she gets into our blood
and we carry her home.
First published by Friends of the Mississippi River, Write to the River, Fall 2019
© Bernadette Gallagher
Bernadette Gallagher, from Ireland, is author of The Risen Tree, (Revival Press, 2024) her debut poetry collection. Poems by Bernadette were published, in 2025, in the 50th celebratory journals for Cyphers, Stony Thursday and Washing Windows V (Arlen).