On the Eve of Reunion

I am posting this on the eve of our reunion. This is a poem I wrote at Corrymeela about our experiences in Belfast entitled “Leaving Belfast”

Leaving Belfast   by Peter Clark

The city fades out
Dissolves
Driving past the towering buildings
And Albert’s Clock in the City Centre
Moving North into the estates.
Colours mark the land here.
Red, White, & Blue;
Green, White, & Gold;
They define you,
Who you are,
Where you live,
Leaving the city
It all fades
Into greens
And browns.
This land bears no visible markers,
No signs of the recent past.
It is unchanging here
Just sheep and grass and rock
As it has been
For time untold.
There is a sense of tranquility,
False though it maybe,
That fills the soul
With hope and joy.
There is the thought
That one day
People of certain creeds and faiths
Will not need to be
Leaving Belfast.

(c) Peter J. Clark 2006