CÉILIDH

By SIOBHAN HARVEY

Morning

Outside, autumn turns over
as the beat of a bodhran
Winter’s coming, winter’s coming, winter’s coming

Morning builds. Like a reel,
the first heat arrives, and with it,
leaves fall, dead bees, a cortege.

The slowstep into church is accompanied
by an organist and weeping in the pews.
Later, a feast, a céilidh. Far off, bells toll. 

*

Afternoon

Bells peel far away. A feast and céilidh await
like an organist and weeping in the pews.
The dance into church begins.

The cortege is bright as bees.
The bride arrives late. Heat reels
in the end of the day.

Winter’s coming, winter’s coming, winter’s coming
we say, smoking outside. To a bodhran’s beat,
the bride and groom begin their turn.

From the beginning, The Common has brought you transportive writing and exciting new voices. We are committed to supporting writers and maintaining free, unrestricted access to our website, but we can’t do it without you. Become an integral part of our global community of readers and writers by donating today. No amount is too small. Thank you!

CÉILIDH

Related Posts

Tethered Hearts

LARA ATALLAH
The city is angry with love. Its sidewalks echo Beirut, and a life there, long-forgotten, languishing in the rearview mirror. Everywhere I look, an almost-déjà-vu skims the walls of my mind. Buenos Aires is Beirut, is Paris, is an aubade to the lost and never found. Down by Recoleta, Haussmann buildings dot the avenues.

beach

“During the Drought,” “Sestina, Mount Mitchill,” “Dragonflies”

LIZA KATZ DUNCAN
”The earth, as blue and green / as a child’s drawing of the earth— // is this what disaster looks like? My love, think / of the dragonflies, each migratory trip / spanning generations. Imagine // that kind of faith: to leave a place behind / knowing a part of you will find its way back, / instinct outweighing desire.

Baileys Harbor Shoreline

On the Shores of Baileys Harbor

BEN TAMBURRI
The beaches of Baileys Harbor are for birds, too pebbly and coarse to relax on. The water is cold, and the waves break at your ankles.