The Cliffs of Kilkee

by Gloria L. Corneliusen

We walked towards the ridge of the Cliffs of Kilkee,
My husband, our children and me,
to gaze at the ocean, the surf and the sea.
We stumbled upon two young lovers entwined in the grass.
She sat up blushing,
He could not release his hold, but held her gently in his arms.
Both sets of eyes glazed over with love or lust,
It matters not which.
At that moment, how I wish it was me
wrapped in the arms of my once young lover
by the Cliffs of Kilkee.

We continued on our walk on the ridge of Cliffs of Kilkee,
my husband, our children, and me.
to admire the eroded rock that ran out to meet the sea.
Careful of the cracks concealed in the tall grasses
which unexpectedly sink you down below the knee.
Tide pools corralled within the rock.
Foreign people walking on the shelf below.
Accents of many nations are heard.
Snapping pictures as they go.

As we continued on our walk upon the Cliffs of Kilkee,
My husband, our children, and me.
We came across a camping ground.
Travelers? wash drying in the breeze.
Young men rolled in sleeping bags.
Seniors sitting on benches looking out to sea.
Dogs tied up on too short leashes,
Barking at us as we walk by,
because they think they should, but too cramped to really care.
Their mournful eyes follow us as we walk on by.
We try not to stare.

Still on we walk on up towards the Cliffs of Kilkee,
my husband, our children and me.
A sandy beach below, teens throwing Frisbees.
Happy puppies yelping, keeping out the sea.
Masters sunning on the rocky shelf.
Across a hill where children on water boards
glide down a grassy slope.
Parents shaking their heads in disbelief
to have come all this way to show them the sea,
just to have them prefer to play on the hills.

On we walk to uncharted paths at the top of the Cliffs of Kilkee.
A spectacular view await my husband, our children and me.
The golden sun shines on our faces,
the deep blue waters down below,
Stranded islands in the bay.
Sand smacking on our faces.
Looking back we see the great distance that we’ve walked.
We sit for a second to rest our tired, blistered feet.
Golfers on the opposite ridge, hikers rushing by,
not a bush anywhere in sight,
Looks like we'll have to start back in double time.