Explanatory Rory

I know this is somewhat preachy and rather explanatory too, but sometimes you just have to write what you gotta write. Later on I can workshop and write more.


"SIGNS NOT PERMITTED HERE"
-A sign near Dublin

At the end of
a hike in Glendalough
through the vacillating greens
where things lie
in their own shadow,
I saw a swarm of middleschoolers;
all wearing the same backpack
in noir and red and round

like ladybugs they skittered across
the hills, struggling to catch up
with their commander, and the sight
of them made me ask
whether they looked like the insect shells
or the other way around

in that place no one could
be sure, whether
present or past
image or image-maker
while Ireland slinked by, her
tail pointed sharply forward

later someone marvelled at
the age of nearby headstones,
photo ops for ageing tourists:
wells to drown deep in,
mirrors to polish clean.