THE one eye of Barry Castle is blue

For it's now a bright summer's day

As I stare at the sad ruins

And wander through the lonely arch.

It certainly lacks the grandeur

Of Caerphilly and Cardiff castles

Ignored by the locals who pass it by

Under a lovely cerulean sky.

Yet it is a little gem in suburbia

Americans would adore a 12th century castle

Literally on their doorstep.

Only a seagull now guards

The summit of the roofless building

Merely the gatehouse and hall survive.

There was once an alehouse built on the site

And if I listen closely I just might

Hear the ghosts of revellers

Now resting forever in forgotten tombs.

I reside on a bench outside its walls

Grateful the castle defiantly stands

And it's to the people of Barry's credit

That it hasn't been removed from history

But it's so far from its halcyon days

And every year it decays and decays.

Guy Fletcher

Pantmawr

Cardiff