Esther Murbach, born in the middle of the 20th century, was raised and is living in Basel. She studied languages, history and philosophy in Basel and Berlin. She is a journalist and translator. She has been a freelance author since 2008.
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Arrival
Once again on Irish soil
I’m stepping from the airplane
St. Peter sends an angry squall
Who cares!
The express bus will take me West
across the spring-green country
‘CityLink links cities best’
declares
the guy who sits behind the wheel
he takes me straight to Galway
My heart, stop dancing merry reels!
Beware!
Roaming the city streets, your bliss
may slowly disappear
because the one you crave, he is
not there
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B&B
So happy to be
once again in my Claddagh B&B
where Grainne sings in the kitchen
like the proverbial lark
forever busy
like the proverbial bee
‘What ye havin today?’
she asks lovingly
like the proverbial turtle dove
meaning my order
for breakfast
While the grey clouds
outside the window
get ready to pour
the proverbial cats and dogs
Grainne’s golden hair
shines brigthly
like the proverbial sun
At a glance
from her proverbial sky-blue eyes
the grumpy Galway weather
doesn’t stand a chance
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Goodbye
One last wake-up
in the room over the kitchen
where the sounds
of morning chatter
and pans that clatter
announce another merry day
sent on the road
with a hearty breakfast
One last plate filled with
sausage and bacon
hash browns and tomato
flushed down with a cuppa
of strong Irish tea blend
One last stroll to the shore
where the seagulls screech
and to the lane
on the Corrib
where the crane
with the long greedy beek
spots infallibly
every unsuspecting fish
in the bog-coloured water
One last drink
on the corner of Quay Street
in front of Nectain’s
deepest-blue pub in the world
deep-blue my mood
too
But
One more time
I know
I’ll be back
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The Galway Review 