Shannon Airport Arrival

Senryu Poem Written On the Aer Lingus Plane Early Morning 3/2/04

Shannon Airport Arrival

Touch down in Shannon
Fields shrouded in morning fog
Lifting to the East

Reveals a fine herd
Frisky cattle greet the day
Distant moo breaks through

Gateway to the West
Holds tightly to tradition
Pastoral splendor

From Aran Islands
To Dublin's busy roadways
Donegal to Cork

The ancient legends
Majestic bovines grazing
Sunlight kissed rough hides

So many set sail
Leaving sad times of famine
For a distant shore

Countless souls perished
Tears of grief stained bovine eyes
From so long ago

Missing the humans
Trusting to God their return
To the land of green

Some things are timeless
Lush pastures hail travelers
Tired from the journey

Refreshed to behold
Twenty-first century cows
Are not so different

From their ancestors
Disembarking passengers
Welcome to Ireland.