Chance Encounters

A walk through Esker

Michéal KIlgannon

Rampart wall and tree on Ringfort, Liscune
B. Doherty

Took a trip with no design

Something just to fill my time

Gravitated towards the East

Searching for an inner peace

Turned for Esker more by chance

Following my radars dance

Parked the car, walked a path

One I had yet to map

 

Monastic escape, solace and space

Sun beaming down, quiet, no sounds

Sat on a wall by a tree, presently

Heard footsteps approaching closer to me

 

Looked around to see a face Familiar to me, some call your Grace

A local Bishop on a lunchtime stroll

Greeted each other, surprised both souls

 

On seeing my crutch, he enquired, I spoke up

Empathised with that plight, knows a colleague with like

We sat down by the tree then conversed in low key

On a fine day in May if the wall talked might say

 

He asked of my people and the health they were in

Then we spoke of old times when the parish had men

Who toiled for their Saviour and built churches galore

Where remnants are scattered in the graveyards before

 

Local Saints, tales of Patrick, in lore handed down

Consecration of Bishops deemed unworthy we found

Still the start words were all concerning health and of life

Things like what I was doing and of future insights

 

Towards the end talked of Daniel O Connell’s younger days

When he wrote to a local house from Chancery Lane

Mentioned Raftery the poet, around for a time

In the place we discussed, calling out to these kinds

 

When parting, prior to going on to finish his walk

He foretold of the prayers for me he’d keep in his thoughts

I bade him farewell and I thanked him for same

Soon returned to my solace and escape from life’s game

 

The keeper of St Brendan’s See

Wandered down that path like me

Chance encounters, new thoughts shod

Maybe all arranged by God

This page was added on 13/02/2017.

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