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'

by Ryan Gibbs

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.

5 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    An incredible poem by an excellent writer who I admire

    Reply
  2. Anonymous

    Wonderful poems about an incredible country!

    Reply
  3. Delia De Santis

    Lovely poetry by Ryan Gibbs. It makes me want to travel where he’s travelled.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous

    Beautiful imagery. Wish I could have been there…

    Reply
  5. Valerie Klotz

    Love this latest poem Ryan. True talent

    Reply

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