RYAN GIBBS
★ ★ ★ ★
POETRY
Image by Kevin Martin Jose
am Main
beyond abandoned shops
and deserted streets
of the modern city at rest
a blackbird calls
to strawberry pickers
in a distant field
fishermen sit
still as silent herons
and sunbathers bask
while swift cyclists
pass them by
at the river’s bend
campers unwind
with Henninger
and I at last
a jet-lagged foreigner
in Deutschland
feel at ease
danke schön
for Margaret & Ingo
the best tour guides are locals
beginning with medieval art
in Freiburg Cathedral
before we catch train
to Breisach for hilltop
views of Rhine vineyards
hiking in Black Forest
stop at lakeside Titisee
we shop for cuckoo clock
like Munich Glockenspiel
figurines twirl in story
venturing Weinwanderung
wine hike through forest
each stop one course meal
and samples of German wine
other hikers pass out in fields
touring tiny Lichtenstein
we collect passport stamps
stop in nearby Switzerland
strolling streets of St. Gallen
peeking through oriel windows
visiting Petite France
we promenade
quiet canals adorned
with timbered buildings
and bright summer flowers
ending the trip in Münster
we sip sweet cappuccino
while watching rooftop storks
contemplating their migration
my long flight home to Canada
'am main' and 'danke schön'
Ryan Gibbs is an English professor who lives in London, Canada. His over forty published poems have appeared in journals and anthologies in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Malta, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon. His children’s poetry has been included in the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness.
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An incredible poem by an excellent writer who I admire
Wonderful poems about an incredible country!
Lovely poetry by Ryan Gibbs. It makes me want to travel where he’s travelled.
Beautiful imagery. Wish I could have been there…
Love this latest poem Ryan. True talent