I always have a habit

Away from the green fields,purple mountains and Dingle BayI will always remember my Killarney ColleenWhose dark hair and laughing eyesAre the most beautiful you’ve ever seenAnd if in some foreign portSomeone should speak to meOf my Erin home far across the seaI will tell them what I’ve told no other manAll about my lovely Killarney…

and every daythe whole year through.They cloak their offspringwith a forever love,being there for themwithout ever interferingin everything they do.Congratulating themwhenever they succeed,holding their hand in comfortwhenever they feel that they have failed.Mums are heroesnever shirking their dutiescome sickness or winter snowbecause without our mumswhat would we do.4 March 2011

In 1958, there was a girl in my class at school.Who would many; many years later turn my life around.We didn’t talk much socially at school;in fact, we were virtually strangers.Yet here we are living thousands of miles awayfrom each other now and we are very good friends.She found me adrift on the internet one…

that our hearts desire,a place where our tormented soulcan at times retireto breathe the coolrefreshing mountain air.A place we goout of the destructive huesto lull our sensesinto gentle platitudes.The imaginary summerof our fateful dreamswith romantic overlaysbeyond the encroaching worldon our fields of fantasyperched on cloudsof fluffy white down.22 November 2011

petals glint of diamond jewelsafter the dew has callin’,a painter strokes his brushlike a moving finger across the canvas.A writer with pen poisednear a sinking sun.A girl on horsebacksilhouetted on a purple hill.A shrieking call for morning’s bid,side by side we sleeplost in dreams of tomorrow.7 October 1980

and night descends.You drift away in solemn dreamsas the sandman comes to callin the deep silence of it all.You lay under crumpled coverson your beddreaming of the day you wedas the streetlights glaresends sinister shadows on the wallin the deep silence of it all.Date unknown