March 2002

Spotlight: Ireland

Dun na nGall (Donegal)
by Ruth Mark

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March 2002—Spotlight: Ireland

Dun na nGall (Donegal)
by Ruth Mark

Perched on a sand dune
the ocean a black emptiness below us
as Lou and I sat encased in the new tent
our green 2-man shelter
long since abandoned.

My father, his hair plastered
to his forehead,
shouting at the elements in frustration
hunting the dunes for something,
anything, to keep the canvas pinned to the ground.

Looking out of the plastic doorway—
people frantic, chasing their possessions
with shouts of "Lord have mercy"
Hail Marys and strangled curses
filling the night, closing in around us.

Breeze blocks, discovered on a pile
left behind by workmen
replacing pegs, ripped from the earth
by the fist of the storm while the
pampas grass shook with a life of its own.

Donegal, 1976.
Our first attempt at camping
the wind and rain had him soaked to the skin,
mum ushered us into the inner sanctum
preserving his dignity, undressing as the rain dripped off his chin.

Our faces just visible, zipped snug in the bags
laying in a row like sausages
listening to the pummeling the roof was taking, our
sleep impossible, fearing we would be washed away
over the dunes and out toward America.

The morning brought calm
and a red-purple sunrise
washed the Atlantic with color
as we emerged from our canvas protection
smiling with relief - we were still standing on Irish soil.

Ruth Mark is a freelance writer and editor. She is also the content manager of an Irish website:
Irish Tips: www.Irish-tips.com [everything you ever wanted to know about Ireland and then some!]
and hosts an Irish forum: http://forums.delphiforums.com/lt_irish/start

Other articles by Ruth Mark:

• Le Suquet

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