A prayer for the animals soon to float; 
no more than driftwood, far less than kidskin. 
Equal to the tyre kill spread bara menyn 
under the last bus. 

In the grass, a game of Cowboys and Indians: 
fingers snapping for guns, stalks under chins,
shirts rising over an ants’ nest. 

Now, a prayer for the potholes on the bridge. 
They shall fill first. Then the kitchen lean-tos 
with their fibreglass waves. 

The last to go will be the road in;
a beaching of tarmacadam
in this town of drownings. 

Years to come, there will be droughts.
Drones will soar over the pickings like doves. 
 

Tryweryn refers to a valley and river in north Wales, primarily known for the controversial flooding of the village of Capel Celyn in 1965 to create Llyn Celyn reservoir for Liverpool’s water supply.
Tracey Rhys is an award-winning writer from South Wales. She is a Literature Wales’ Writing Well facilitator for 2025/26. Tracey’s poetry collection, Bathing on the Roof (2025) is now available from Parthian Books.