Long after we’ve forgotten
the sumptuous interior of the Topkapi Palace,
or the cool blue of the Mosque, the men at prayer,
we’ll remember the beggar who rested
his cigarette on our café table
to play the tambourine.
The stumps of his teeth glistened black,
as he made a carnival of your name,
sang the syllables, beat the rhythm with a cheery jangle
of metallic bells,
his sun- toughened feet dancing rings
around us in scruffy sandals.
His humble percussion instrument held high,
was a rhythmic rattle of celebration
a bright shimmer of sound,
the song of your name, joyful in a baptism
of sun and good humour
that day in Istanbul.
Margaret Galvin's seventh collection of poetry and essays, 'No End to the Wonder', is due from Revival Press, Limerick later this year. She is the 2025 recipient of the Francis Ledwidge Award. Her essays are frequently broadcast on the RTE programme 'Sunday Miscellany'. She facilitates workshops in social care environments.
More work by Margaret Galvin
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