The Queen of Joyce Tower

The Omphalos, Forty Foot by Forty Foot

Armed with a kindle

She took on James Joyce

His “barracks,”

her command

She guides people

behind the parapet

And looks out as water crashes

against the Forty Foot ocean hole

The Martello, forty foot by forty foot,

just up from the Gentlemen’s Forty Foot

Did Joyce ever sunbathe

where Daedalus shaved?

A thought for her

on a sunny day

She calls Joyce Tower

the 'Omphalos'

It means centre or hub, and

last week we met at Ulysses pub

In Greek, it is a conical stone

representing the navel of the earth

built to defend against Napoleon

His navy never made, it in the end

But Belgians have, and many European friends

Susan invites Joycean guests to her watch tower

She even watched a couple vow to say yes

and asked Veronique to get dressed,

as Gerty, no less

Forget Bloom, I’ll have to bring some flowers

when I next visit Malachy’s Martello tower

My deep dive into Ulysses

completed by the "Snot green"

refreshing ocean

As I stumbled and fumbled

I almost lose my footing

At the British Army’s

40th Regiment of Foot

An invitation by Susan

where a prepared picnic

awaits with some seed cake

Forty Foot by Forty Foot

The queen of the tower

if only as a volunteer

for a few hours

Sunday August 22nd 2022 3:04am

Supported by

UNESCO City of Literature