A Woman of the Fields (An Aftermath)

Peter Fallon

As an oak, king tree,

transmits along

its tributaries,

conduits of its root system,

benefits, assistance to another,

stricken by disease—

injury or lightning, say—

so her company and comfort

were heartlift

in the baffled aftermath

in which he found himself

adrift

of himself. Then,

as soft as thistledown,

in touch of tongue and lips

he spells his thankfulness

for the privilege of her attention

and worships

at the altar of her being.

There are no maps

in the land

of longing. You face the light

and line the shadows

in a band

behind you, the way another sees

angels in the trees,

one who cleaves

to her, and she too glimpses

glimmerings of wings

among the leaves.

from Still the Heart (forthcoming)

PETER FALLON lives in the Irish Midlands where he farmed for many years. In 1970, he founded The Gallery Press, Ireland’s pre-eminent literary publishing enterprise. He continues to edit and publish Gallery Books and to work on poems and translations. He is a member of Aosdána.