Castletroy Words

See Ya, Fella Sometimes you meet someone and you like them, and you can just like them— nothing else needed. And you never get close. They are there in your life, and they make life sweeter just by being themself. You slide the fader up, mic on, and get on with life, broadcast. And so life slips on. We can’t stop the motion. And so they fade out, like a song on the radio. You slide the fader down, turn the mic off. Transmission ends. See ya, fella.

Legs I used to grumble about legs— mine don’t work well. But now I think how wonderful they are: to perambulate all around, wherever I wish. I can say, I will go there, and the legs say, okay, and off we go, movement steered by brain. And so we enjoy the Shannon, and the park, and shopping—well, maybe not. And then the legs get me home.

Head to Wind Life is sailing out on the bay — you haul the sheets so you’re not blown every which way, you watch the wind and the tide, trim the sails to soften the ride. Sometimes the waves crash over and you laugh at the shock of cold water, you hold the helm to stay afloat, watch the cardinal markers and steer clear — avoid the passing ships. You watch the lights on the harbour wall, watch the ebbing tide so you’re not left stranded, line up your markers and tack across the bay. It’s hard — the wind, the waves — and you’re tired, bones and breath tired, so you turn head to wind and rest.