All comments are appreciated. Thanks, Dale.

Thanks, Beth!

Thank you, Jean. Train travel is much less common and more expensive here in the States, so I was paying close attention to details of the experience that probably would’ve been lost on me if it were something I did more often. I kind of surprised myself with the ending of the poem, which is a bit subtler than what I usually come up with.

Well, I hope so, too! We’ll just have to hold a mini writers’ conference at Ty Isaf sometime. It would be fun to have more time to hang out with Welsh poets, for example, and maybe rent a caravan and tour the countryside.

Good to see a return to Wales in this poem. You may be far away in body, but you must have left a part of yourself behind because sometimes when I walk into our kitchen or dining room, I get a flash of many American voices raised in laughter around a table, and it’s as though you and Marly, Andrea and Anita haven’t left at all, but have taken residence around the place like a bunch of benevolent poltergeists! I hear you too whenever I make that morning walk up through the livery stable at Pantmawr, over the hill and back down to cross the River Ystwyth at Llanilar and along the cycle path to home. The four of you made more impact here than you might imagine. I don’t think that there will ever be an event here that’s as much fun as when the writers arrived from the States and took over Ty Isaf. You write:

Who knows when or if I’ll pass
this way again?

I for one heartily hope that you will my friend. I hope you know that the warmest welcome will await you.