Meuse in late October

arqios

 

Meuse in late October

Meuse in late October(Meuse Valley day-trip, 1990s)


I leave the orchard roads of Molenbeek‑Wersbeek with the smell of wet leaves clinging to my coat, tyres humming along the E40, past fields already leaning toward winter, past barns that seem to breathe at their own slow pace.
                          Hannut is a pause of cobbled streets, a café window misted from the inside, the hiss of an espresso machine, and the soft murmur of market sellers blending with the smell of fresh bread.
           Back on the road, Namur rises like a meeting of stone and water — the Sambre folding into the Meuse, arched bridges like the backs of sleeping cats, citadel walls that seem to have carried their weight for centuries. I stop for a moment on the riverbank, watching the current carry leaves downstream as if the Meuse were repeating the same journey.
                          The valley narrows. The cliffs lean in, their limestone faces streaked with rust and moss, and the river carries a bronze light older than the towns it touches.
                                   Dinant appears suddenly — a church dome cradled in the rock’s palm, the citadel watching with patient stone eyes. I cross the bridge, the Meuse passing below like a thought I can’t quite finish.
             Lunch is bread still warm enough to steam my fingers, beer the colour of late afternoon, and the sound of barges gliding past as if they had a gentler appointment to keep.
                                                               In the cable car, the town falls away into a patchwork of roofs, and the river becomes a ribbon tying this day to other autumns I have carried in my heart.
                                                                                   In the evening I drive north again, headlights catching the edges of fallen leaves, the map folded on the passenger seat like a letter I will never send.




.

Comments +

Comments7

  • sorenbarrett

    My friend this seems a book passage so well written and imaged it sems that one was there. Loved it

    • arqios

      And a most cherished memory. Thanks, Soren 🙏🏻🕊️

      • sorenbarrett

        Most welcome my friend

      • nephilim56 ( Norman Dickson)

        great write and a fav my friend

      • Friendship

        Lovely written

        • arqios

          Thanks, Friendship 🙏🏻🕊️

        • Tristan Robert Lange

          Arqios, this brought back memories of day trips where the destination almost became secondary to everything encountered along the way. Sometimes it's the roads, the pauses, and the unexpected moments that remain with us longest. Beautiful piece, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦‍⬛

          • arqios

            And those trips happen at a certain age/period as well; somewhere between just being freed from childhood and before getting tied down by adulting. 🙏🏻🕊️

          • orchidee

            Good write A.

            • arqios

              Thanks O. 🙏🏻🕊️

            • Kevin Hulme

              Good discriptive writing. 🤙

              • arqios

                thanks, Kevin🙏🕊️

              • Goldfinch60

                That memory will be with you forever Rik.

                Andy

                • arqios

                  Always. Thanks, Andy🙏🏻🕊️



                To be able to comment and rate this poem, you must be registered. Register here or if you are already registered, login here.