On the second day of this poetry challenge, I’m going to post an old poem. I had been trying, very unsuccessfully, to write poetry for a while and was figuring out all the basics and bringing it to my writing group, the Carlow Writers’ Co-operative Group. Before going to Lisbon, for a holiday, my good friend and mentor, Derek Coyle, challenged me to write stuff while I was there and send it on. I wrote this poem and sent it to him. His feedback: Congratulations, you have written a poem.
Breakfast in Faro
By the harbour, a couple sit silently reading
as families discuss plans for their first day in Faro.
This is where everyone goes in the morning.
Sipping coffee and bottled water, we are interrupted
by aeroplanes every three minutes;
only the tourists look upwards each time.
There are men in boats skimming silently by
searching for sardines, mackerel or sea bream to feed
tourists in the restaurants.
An old man stops to chat to the couple
he jokes about something, maybe the news
or a scandal in the city since he saw them last.
The lady laughs but her husband glances down
at the news affecting the rest of his country.
It seems that life is simple in this city.
We pay our bill, then walk to the old town.
Image Credit: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02370/coffee_2370526b.jpg