Sting

A poem from 1986

death may have lost its sting

but aftershave hasn’t

Marbles

A poem from 2017

childhood’s glass

I must have put them somewhere

...cuckoo clock

Gymslipnosis

A poem from 2017, based on a true story

Your eyes are getting heavy

You couldn't open them if you tried

You are getting sleepier

You no longer want to wake up

You want to wash away the pain in oblivion

You are going down, deeper

Past the years

Past the tears

Back to happier times

Those few precious, childhood days

In Dublin's fair city

Remember the dreams

Remember the innocent days

Remember school friends

Enjoy the moments of peace

Treasure the memories

Mary, Mary

Alcoholic mother

Abusing stepfather

The visits in the night

The fear, the fists

The expectation of being murdered

Mary, Mary

Ran away at 14

Took a ship to London

Hoping for a better life

Streets paved with the future

The expectation of newness of life

Mary, Mary

Sleeping rough

Noone to talk to

Reality comes and hits you in the face

A tall, dark stranger

Comes with comfort

Offers food and lodgings

A job with prospects

The expectation of love

Mary, Mary

Pimped by your comforter

Nine men on your first night

Shame, brokenness, a trap

Forced to take it to the streets

Red light, it only gets worse

No more expectations

Mary, Mary

The child moves inside you

You've seen what happens next

Knitting needle abortion, fever, likely death

You steal a fiver and run

And run

And run

The expectation of capture

Mary, Mary

You see a nurse and beg her for help

True kindness at last!

She becomes your friend

She keeps you safe

She looks after you

Your baby is born healthy

The expectation of family

Mary, Mary

You have no money, no prospects, no hope, no help

Your baby taken away for adoption

Promised a new and happy home

But you are distraught

And you lose your mind

And you become obsessed

And years later you steal a baby

From a pram

And you are jailed

Your eyes are getting heavy

You couldn't open them if you tried

You are getting sleepier

You no longer want to wake up

You want to wash away the pain in oblivion

You are going down, deeper

You have no happy memories

You have nothing to treasure

You have nothing

You are noone

You are the victim

You are alone

You are not alone

I give you my tears

Box

A poem from 2017

Listen to an audio performance

Ooh! A box!

What's in it?

Socks?

No, it's too big for that

Unless it's all packaging

I'm quite excited to see

What's in there for me

Imma divin’ in

Oh wait!

What if

I don't like the gift?

What if it's a trick?

A brick

A stick

Maybe I'll just quietly walk away

And leave it

But then I'll never know

Should I stay

Should I go?

What a dilemma

I don't know what to do!

Do you?

Kick!

A poem from 2017

This warm world of water

So comforting

Being carried around

Lie back, relax and think of nothing

I like it in here

Not a care in the world

But it's been a while now and I'm eager to see outside

What has life in store for me?

Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?

I'm going to give mummy a little kick

I know she likes that

Tee hee hee! She's laughing and telling daddy and he's coming over for a feel

One, two, three, wait for it! Dramatic drum roll!

Kick!

Tee hee hee!

And days go by in this happy way

There seems to be plenty of activity today

Lots of voices

I think this is it! I'm so excited!

Push, mummy, push!

I'm not going to bore you with gory details

That would take hours!

Here I come, now!

My head is out! My body is out!

Shiver, it's cold!

And I want to breathe now but I can't!

My lungs are blocked!

And the doctor is slapping me!

What did I do wrong?

*Screams* I DON’T LIKE IT!

Total Recall

A poem from 2017

You said something today

You said the opposite five years ago

We never forget

We never forgive

You said something offensive thirteen years ago

You have since apologised

We reject your apology

We never forget

We never forgive

Once guilty

Always guilty

One mistake

Always guilty

We never forget

We never forgive

You are not allowed to change for the better

You are not allowed to put your house in order

You are not allowed to turn your life around

We won't let you forget

We won't ever forgive

But we have no power

We have only hate

And anger

And bitterness

Our hearts are rotting

Our minds have decayed

We have only spit

We have only spite

So here's a better way

Forgive

Forget

Judge not

Leave that up to One who can

Love

Hope

Faith

A heart replaced

A mind renewed

A slate wiped clean

Again and again and again

Let him who is without sin throw the first brick

The Pirates

A poem from 2017

Listen to an audio performance

It was a stupid thing to do

We thought we had the numbers

A so solid crew

We thought we could chart a new course

A brotherhood true

We thought we could free ourselves

Plied with alcohol and taken against our wills

Strong lads we had our lives spared

Crossed our bones and hoped to live

All aboard the mother ship

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

We honoured the thieves, all the while plotting our escape

Dangerous, confined, rats, robbers, deep blue sea

Sickness, madness, frustration, pieces of eight, deep blue sea

We took our courage in our hands

We launched our fated mutiny

Our hearts sank as cold feet shrank back

Leaving us exposed and living dead

Condemned, tied up and spat upon

Mocked and blindfolded, urged on

At the point of a sword, inched along

The wobbly plank, creaking

Hearing curses and shrieking

Knowing there would be no way back

In slow motion I fell into the water

And sank

Holding my breath against all common sense

Prolonging the inevitable by seconds

A naive, involuntary optimism

As I went down, down

Panic replaced by peace

This was it

Candle

A poem from 1993

You can make me shine

You can snuff me out