Half way down the beaten path
I came upon the sound
The babbling of the river
A gentle cheerful sound
Water over pebble stones
Shallow here it ran
Further on the deeper pools
Bog brown in the sun
Babbling too our chatter
Busy lives we lead
Forever ever talking
All our cares and needs
And children love to chatter
So new to this world’s play
The daily deeds that matter
They learn to have their say
But the babbling stream runs slow and deep
As it winds on to the sea
And here the trout are swimming
Or lazing happily
And so should we in praying
Take a little time
Slow the world and contemplate
The gift of life is mine
Brian Fahy
16 June 2022
+ Jesus tells us not to babble when we pray. Babbling is the busy sound of water over pebbles and I remember the path down to the river from Aunty Sarah’s house in Glencullen. A quiet summer morning, completely still, and then of a sudden, at a certain spot on the path the sound of the river comes to your ear. It is beautiful music. Prayer too at times can be frantic when our hearts are disturbed, but as a rule we do not need to babble. And so we say ‘Our Father…’
Erris Poetry 