for E.
Somewhere among Son of the Fair One’s genes
is your gene as he walks the castle grounds,
feeling surrounding hills, how their green
risings cause his blood to rise, how the sounds
from godwits sweeping across Loch Duich sweep
him to song: melodies his grandmother
taught him, Gaelic lyrics which made her weep
as she sang, stroking his sunrise hair, her
rocking chair keeping rhythm with her voice.
He recalls stories of her emerald home,
how her husband made this island his choice.
How his own choice led Alexander to come
in thanks, hand him this highland fortress. He
reaches a crest, gazes west toward the sea.
Roger Armbrust
March 23, 2001
