Published In Southword Online
Blackrock Pool
Eddie Heron, 36 Years Diving Champion of Ireland,
often gave exhibitions at Blackrock Pool.
He would barely leave a ripple,
diving again and again
from clear sky to trapped sea,
applause ebbing and flowing
from crowded concrete seats.
Now only the sea plays here,
high-tide storms leaping the wall
bombing into the pool;
no attendant's whistle
can call the waves to order.
The board has gone,
the diver has gone;
and summer days no longer draw
the squealing and splashing children
to crowd Blackrock Pool.
&
sometimes a grey bird still squats
on top of the
concrete frame
staring down
into a pool
of the past
as if ready
to dive.
