Wednesday 18 February 2015

By your presence


For Paula, for endless kindness

You will ask, or be asked someday
What good have you done?
What purpose, in this shifting world
What weight did you place upon the scales ?

You cannot answer for yourself
You'll never guess the moments
Only others can tell the tale
Of acts and omissions filed in your name

But like golden coins they'll pile;
Solid, worthy, generous, tangible,
Each one with a testament affixed
And each of these will start with this

By your presence -  three glorious words.
By your presence, we were comforted
By your presence, we were fed
And burdens lifted, hard times eased

By your presence - tangled threads unbound,
Problems solved and time reclaimed
Tea and biscuits, time and thought
And always laughter, always some moments joy.

There will be volumes written and declared.
Each one of a kindness kindly given
Each one shining in the deepening dark
A line of light to lead you home.

You, you wear this lightly as you go
But by your presence are you known

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Sunday 15 February 2015

Vote Early Vote Often (a poem about @YesEquality15 and #FiMeIrl)

I do not see, what makes me
more worthy to be wed
than Annie and Jacyntha
or Maurice to his Fred?

I posses no greater intellect
Nor higher moral ground
No secret way to perfect love
Have I or my ilk found.

We row and fight and hurt and bleed
And break and tear assunder
We heal the same, we love the same
And when we're six feet under

We'll all make bones, we'll all make dust
And twill be hard to say -
Which of us was wed or not
And who  was straight or gay

So while we live and breath we draw
And the sun yet shines above
Let us all be equal in one thing -
The beauty of our love.

If your heart holds within
one single spark of joy
It matters not what fans the flame
The sight of girl or boy.

All that counts is if that face
Brings solace to your life
And if you long to call that name
Husband mine, or Wife.

So may fifteen we all must join
To vote for all our sakes
Vote early and vote often for
The difference marriage makes

Vote yes, dear readers !

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Tuesday 10 February 2015

Late Coffee


You were there.
In the smile when someone
(Could have been me.
Allegedly.)
Wore the plastic gown -
a mournful clown.
You were there.
In the moment you insisted
On sitting up
On getting out of bed
That old defiance, that bold man.
You were there.
In the pallid light
Over late night coffee
In the echo of other times
In brighter places.
You were there.
In the glint of an eye
When we discussed the state
of the Irish nation
after the Black Prince, and you nodded.
You were still there
When I left.
You were still there.

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