Suncatchers

Greystones Beach, co Wicklow, Ireland, June 2012

cloud of unknowing

Surrounded by towers

Locked out

Block on block

Children wait

On the far islands

To receive their futures

They hunger and wait

As the city stays wide-eyed

Full of itself

Men talk and talk

Not knowing the knife edge

Nearly touching their rosy cheeks

And so close to the night

We are all folded in

Sin on sin

Never knowing

The children of the far isles

They were our own

[They

Were waiting

For us]

all the human circuses are pouring into town

my friend

said

all the human circuses

are pouring into town …

the bendy one

who is everyone’s best friend

the lion tamer

who creates the illusion of safety

the acrobat

who keeps us enthralled with spectacle

the ringmaster

who commands the space

the freak

who makes us feel normal

…

and let us not forget

the clown

as all the human circuses

are pouring into town …

it's the shiny-nosed

wide-wild eyed

ill-fitting clothed

flat -footed 

falling off  their stool

crazy dude

who convinces us

that we are not fools

[ha!]

Trilogy

Faith

The contents of invisibility

Hope

The ancient anchor

Love

The waxing moon

It is:

it is time:

here is the day

hastening

towards

me

how narrow

the confines

how wide

the arms

how high the love

and how so very

deep down

is the depth

of self

ah
there it is

un-fold-ing

this is a tiredness
beyond all previous
tiredness-es
stronger, weightier
fiercer in its drive
towards dark

ah, how far is the sea
this inland place has so 
bound-ed me

today there is a deeper
feeling than any
previously felt
resting under
the winter sun
waiting for the
great dis-spell-ment
and the unfolding
of hands

identities

layers of clothes

- put on by fair and rough

hands - 

have labelled us

and made us the image

not of God

no …

really
we would need to

tremble naked

weeping

to know who we are

yes …

really