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Chiaroscuro Caravaggio Michelangelo When you see You know In Malta I saw The Beheading of the Baptist Leaned in so far I got a warning – Electronic barrier Yellow card Bathed in light A brutal darkness shows John in life At death I do not paint What I do is words Words to speak outContinue reading “Caravaggio”

My father loved that easy Irish way It made him smile and laugh on holiday 1950s Ireland smiling best Away from war and fighting and the rest He’d struggled all his life some place to find Where life was good and people always kind The dank and dark of pit life was his chore TheContinue reading “Mullingar Exchange”

Bones were found on Doolough beach Famine graves they said And children who had failed to thrive And joined the un-mourned dead And jelly fish we came across As we played upon that shore And enjoyed sea breezes in our face Blown in from old Faulmore And Doolough was my granny’s place My mother’s mother’sContinue reading “The Beach at Doolough”

Glencullen – My mother’s land And land of all my dreams Empty now and silent now Except for running streams Its river gently flowing Through bog lands to the sea And I forever dreaming Of things that cannot be Glencullen of my heartstrings Where children at their play Found love and joy and laughter AllContinue reading “Glencullen”

You hang in Dublin town all this while A buried treasure Hiding in plain sight Six figures in the dark Gethsemane Ill met by moonlight Meagre lantern light Judas’ earnest kiss As he betrays Guards rush on John steals away The lantern bearer Painter all in one Looks on in sorrow Sad at this affrayContinue reading “The Taking of Christ (For Pauline)”

She stands before the haycock Mouth agape Tongue shy right Firm hands by her side Scarf around her head All dressed in black A widow of the west My mammy’s mammy Nan or Biddy Carey or The young girl from Doolough Who married in A looker I would say In her youth A photo rareContinue reading “The Haycock”

I am writing this blog because I need a window on the world. I am now 74 years old, retired from being a family mediator, and before that a catholic priest. I have spent my life in human communication and my work revealed to me how important is human speech, not only for passing information,Continue reading “Window On The World”