Silver Anniversary Trip, Day Twenty-one

a calming cycle
on a rails-to-trails flat path:
way to start the day

more history learned 
at a medieval castle 
built, burned, lost, rebuilt

my man boating us
back down the river, towards home
our heritage left

Silver Anniversary Trip, Day Twenty

riding up river
in a boat we drive ourselves 
weathering windstorms

the river’s flooded
even for Irish standards
yet we navigate

monastery stop
seventh century ruins
Irish faith runs deep

a long drive’s reward:
stellar food, oldest pub
and Guinness to drink

sleeping on a boat
knowing Athlone’s lights alight 
can be quite calming

a castle day trip
cycling on sketchy roads
yet worth the visit

hidden Irish gems:
four hundred years of earls
residing in stone

science surprises:
this telescope discovered 
distant galaxies

and Bruce got to stand
in the largest redwood grove
outside the U.S.

night ends with laughter
in a 1500s pub
kindness in their blood

a rough travel day
and some rough river waters
aren’t too rough for us

the sunset calms us
the river settles for bed
and we can rest now

we’re the post office:
through wind, rain, sleet, clouds… weather
we weather the storm

just another day
in the life we’ve created 
in sickness and health

rising before dawn
to walk up stairs to a plane:
yes, in Portugal

seeing motherland 
for the first time in my life?
green love connects us

it’s more than patchwork 
it’s where so many of us
find our heritage

a one-day journey
to return to our homeland 
of a thousand years