Sketchbook

One stroke of the pen and the river flows.

One stroke of the pen and the village rises
hut on hut, houses, docks.

One stroke of the pen and people gossip, buy, sell,
gather in knots, increase, die, complain.

One stroke of the pen and clouds and in the distance
a beach of stars.

One stroke of the pen and… I loved you, you know

But I didn’t know.
And so I do these things.

Richard W Halperin’s most recent collection for Salmon Poetry is Catch Me While You Have the Light; his most recent for Lapwing, Imaginary Landscapes. Mr Halperin’s work is part of University College Dublin’s Irish Poetry Reading Collection.