The first day of
Lockdown
I cycle down to Rusheen Bay
Silver reflections on the water
Sun yellow blossoms of gorse
The heron standing absolutely still
Until he sees me approach and adheres to
Social distancing without ever having
Heard the term
Dogs taking their owners
For a walk
They seem to be the happiest creatures of all
Completely ignoring the news
About keeping distance to their
Fellow dogs and humans
My heroes of the day
Somebody made a mistake
Proclaiming the Apocalypse
Just around the corner.
………….
Jessica Pape moved from Germany to Galway in 2009, and never managed to leave. She was longlisted for the Over the Edge New Writer of the Year Competition in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and shortlisted for the CUIRT Spoken Word Platform 2018. She has been published in Skylight 47. She writes poems and short stories.