Greyhound should take notes
from these people;
this is everything
a bus should be.
The high-backed, soft seats
feel like recliners
compared to Greyhound’s seats.
The interior
is dominated by
an unobtrusive brown,
making it seem more like
hanging out in someone’s den
than being cramped up
in public transportation.
The only noise on the Greyhound
was the rattling windows,
but this bus is full
of the sounds of life:
the local news
streams from the speakers,
and friendly conversations
blend together
like notes in a chord.
Those who are alone
sit comfortably
with a relaxed detachment,
as opposed to most of those
from the Greyhound,
who sat stiffly
on the edges of their seats
with tense and expectant eyes,
prepared to bolt
at the first sign of danger.
Perhaps the bus riders
in Northern Ireland
are even more fearful
than those in the States,
but, here in the Republic,
fear is the last thing
on anyone’s mind.
-------
Only a few minutes
outside Shannon,
we break from the fog
into a brilliant,
sunlit day.
The land out here
reminds me
of the backroads in Alabama:
mostly fields
with sparsely separated
houses or gas stations.
The greener grass,
the stone fences,
and occasional ruins
of a castle, house, or church
are the only apparent differences.
The first ruins I see
excite me,
but I soon realize
that there is nothing special
about an old building
in the Irish countryside.
They’re not nearly as rare
as a history-starved American
expects them to be.
-------
As we near Limerick,
houses gradually become
more and more numerous,
like we’re slowly
fading into the city.
It feels so much less abrupt
than entering a city
in the States.
The Irish
are really good
at easing into things.
Even the way they
build their towns
suggests that they run
on a different clock
than the rest of us.
They don’t mind living
thirty minutes outside town,
after all, who needs
to rush to town?
What’s the big hurry?
I wonder
if they ask themselves
that question
when they meet Americans?
They must surely have
a lower percentage of heart attacks
than we do per year.
I haven’t noticed
a single person
looking at their watch
since I’ve been here.
In fact, most people
aren’t even wearing watches.
This is exactly
the pace of life
I’ve been longing for.
It won’t take long
to get used to this.