Ephemeral

Intangible, ghost

Whispering through the silence

Like cars in the distance

Sounds of souls
Escaping tired, limp bodies

A fleeting humming wind

You were only a ghost

Who lives in my memories

Nationality Fraud

I'm not quite Irish-bred

Nor English nor Scottish

Hair not the colour of fireish-red

Or skin the shade of new lambswool

The ones that fill our round green hills

But hair like the winter sky, dark and cool

And eyes not blue

But brown, near black

Not a picture of an irish true

Don't speak the tongue of the Ulster Scots
Or the lilting tunes of gaelic
But I have no plots

To change this place
Our identity in knowing

We're our own wee race

Don't recite the Creed or the Hail Mary,

Soldier Song or God Save the Queen

Or attend church in a building old and eerie

I'm not quite Irish-bred

Nor English nor Scottish

And I'm filled with dread

When I hear that question

What is your nationality?

Ballycastle

Yon stands Rathlin amid the sea

Oot the winda of our wee hoose

And the bastes of the sky hover

As the fushermon let their nets oot loose

We're all roon the fire

When the nicht turns caul'

Yer tay in yer haun

Tellin' stories of 'aul

When the morn awakes

Breathin' in salt air

Yer oot fer a dander

Across the strand, so fair

Playin games in pairs

Fer twa heids is better than yin

And discoverin' the history

Of this hoose and its kin

How many times hae ye stayed

Yin, twa, or thie?

In this aul' hoose

Our memories will always be

Noël

Le jour de Noël
La naissance de notre Roi
La neige si belle
Tombe sur les bois

Pourquoi les cadeaux?
Pourquoi nous mangeons?
Pourquoi le vin chaud?
Pourquoi les bons-bons?

Dans ce monde plein de guerre
Nous pouvons te voir face à face
Nous ne sommes pas seuls sur la terre
A Dieu nous rendons grâce

An Irish Garden

Frowning flowers
Anchored alone
Allotted
Drenching downpours
Diminishing their demeanour

Quivering leaves
Petals crying raindrops
Dark clouds
Changing their complexions

Sunflowers solemnly
Await the day
When he appears
Peeping coyly through the clouds

We all wait for him
....the sun

Clair de Lune

Le clair de lune est si brilliant
Que je ne peux pas dormir
Je te veux à mes côtés
Rester avec moi dans mes rêves
Où la réflexion de la lune flotte
Dans l'océan si noir et pur

Le passé me haunte
Je ne veux pas faire les mêmes erreurs
J'ai peur d'aimer,
De laisser quelqu'un entre ma vie
De savoir tous mes secréts
Tous mes rêves
Toutes mes fautes
Et tous les chemins de mon corps

Mon âme et mon esprit sont déchirés
Entre mes désirs
Un jour j'espère quand
Je te connais plus
Je sentirai l'amour naturellement

Haiku - Jemma

Spellbound, free spirit
Long dark shiny hair, seaweed
Your moisture still felt

A Bloody Mess

Red blood pours
White flowers laid
Blue lights flash

A determined flag of
Red, white & blue
Never knew
This mess would ensue

Patchwork

I see a patchwork quilt

By fences sewn together

The greens, browns and silt

And pretty dots of heather

This view from the window

A reminder I can roam

But relax and surely know

I've always got a home

And just a little farther

A perfect blue sea sprawls

A tiny blue smudge, rather

Reminds me adventure calls

This view from the window

Makes me rest, dream, gaze

But tomorrow I must go

And see what's past that haze

Impenetrable

A bulletproof film

Nebulous dome

Obscures the view

Separating here from

The realm where you are

Life Never Loiters

Our future laid before us

Like the city's sullen skyline

Mystic words

I can't quite remember

Hide above the clouds

Somewhere far

Unreachable

Muttering winds

And shallow souls

Fly too fast

To catch and hold

Life won't wait
It never loiters

Giant's Causeway

A barricade
Of giant stepping stones

Thrown out to sea

A foaming mouth

Which curls and rips

With vengeance

An enemy line

Waving at invaders
Across the Irish Sea

Morning

I haven't drawn the curtain yet
But pessimism I shun
Even though the sun and sky haven't met
I know the battle is won

Soon that yellow yoke will rise
And bring new life
As it's cracked into the skies
And boils away our strife

I haven't even put on my gowns
But today I will smile
Even if I face a sea of frowns
For He takes me to this tranquil isle

A Belfast Fan

You're off on a trip across the world
So the ozzie flag we have unfurled
Its not used to our weather
And quick Irish blether
But I'll ramble a tale
Over a pint of ale
Of our dear city béal feirste
Who will never forget ye!

A trip up the coast
Is what I love most
By the crystal blue sea
With a flask full o' tea
Granny goes in for a skinny dip
Then we're off home via the golden chip

We enjoy Irish wheaten, it just can't be beaten
Triangular sandwiches and traybakes
And don't forget our lakes
There's spelga dam
And the river bann
Lough neagh
And murlough bay

There's so much beauty
But the men watch the footy
Arguing over linfield and glentoran
The Lambeg or the Bodhran
Or what sports you play
Or what prayers you say
For arguments sake
We'll just shut our bake!

For we're all invaders of this green land
Once so barren and so bland
Now blooming with history
Culture, tales and mystery

I'll take a dander down by the dock
And tomorrow a stroll around Castlerock
There's so much to see, across from Magee
Or a sunny day trip to Donegal
And down where St Patrick preached at Saul

A catch up with friends at Maggie may's
It's decor not changed over quite few days
Their speciality - the ulster fry
Or a salty broth to make your mouth dry

A sunday night in with father ted
Laughter and craic and soda bread
Dad's light dinner of bacon and toast
After mum had cooked the Sunday roast
Remember his gammon
We were left in a famine
We named it disaster
Caravan cooking, he never did master!

Taties with scallions

That's champ to us hallions

Bacon in a bap

From yer man down the road, the bakery chap

The colours of Belfast

The flag on its mast

Red white & blue, green white & gold

And so our persuasions are therefore told

We could choose neither, a plain flag of white

To symbolise peace, to stop this oul' fight

We'll see you again
Who knows, with a we'an?
And a healthy brown tan
But you'll always be a Belfast fan

Il suffit

Son ombre

Me cache

Dans ma chambre
Dans mon lit

Pas loi

Toute foi

Il suffit