Castle Dunseverick

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, here is a poem from my young-adult novella, The Sea at Mughain (Sam’s Dot Publishing, 2010).  It’s set in ancient Ireland.

Castle Dunseverick

Now are the sounds of battle stilled

And a still green path
Leads to the broken tower
Overlooking the sea.
Look to the north, Dunseverick
Ancient seat of kings.

Where is the hall at the end of the day

And the king feasting?
Where is the fire to warm a guest
At travel’s end?
Where is the song that cheered the king
Before the darkness of night falls
The waves crash forever
But the hall is no more.

Before the broken tower

The kings of Dal Riata
Looked out to sea
And plotted conquest.
But now
A smooth, green, secret turf
Hides the place of the hall
The laughter of kings is in the waves
The song of the hall is in the wind
Caressing the broken tower.

Here’s a picture of Dunseverick as it is today.  (Photo credit Wikepedia; sorry, former students.)

 

 

The Sea at Mughain is available in print or Kindle from Amazon; as an e-book for many formats, including Nook, on Smashwords; and in print at Hero Complex Games and Entertainment in Wichita, Kansas.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  And, as David Letterman said, “What better way to honor Ireland’s greatest saint than by sitting on a curb vomiting into a green plastic hat.”