The Cliffs shall call

Beneath
the heavens’ gray embrace
Where winds of sorrow
carve the space
The Cliffs of Moher
rise austere
A throne where silence
claims the seer
Their jagged edges
cold and vast
Hold whispers
of the lives that passed
Each soul that leaned
to meet the gale
To glimpse
below the ocean’s veil
And there
where earth and sky collide
Where time itself dares
not reside
A perfect death
seems softly sown
A plunge into the great unknown
No cries
no chains to hold me fast
No echoes
of the shadowed past
Just wind and wave
a final breath
A quiet fall
a lover’s death
I’d join
the murmurs of the sea
Its ancient hymn enfolding me
To drift with tides
to ebb and flow
To leave this weighted world
below
The cliffs shall call
their song so sweet
A melody
where fate may meet
For in their grasp
there is release
A fleeting fall
eternal peace
Would Yeats have dreamed
of such an end?
Where sea and rock
and spirits blend?
I hear the call
its mournful tone
And long to make
that leap my own

To drift beneath the arches

Beneath O’Connell’s
steadfast span
I stand and feel
the river’s plan
Its gentle pull
its ceaseless song
To carry
the restless heart along
What if I leapt, a whisper
a sigh
To join the Liffey
as it winds by
Through arches bent
by time and stone
Where Dublin’s soul
has long been sown?
Bridge by bridge
its waters call
A Viking’s ghost
in its rise and fall
To the sea that cradled
their sturdy prows
And kissed the shores
where their honor bows
The tide would take me
far
away
Beyond where sunlight
greets the day
To melt
into the ocean’s breast
And find
at last eternal rest
No trace
no shadow left behind
Just flowing waters
undefined
Dublin would
forget my name
Yet I’d be part
of its endless frame
Oh city born
of blackened pool
Where tides are fierce
yet strangely cool
Take me now
beneath your streams
And let me fade
in timeless dreams

Jealous of the cup

Oh fragile porcelain
you daring thief
You steal what I can
only dream to keep
Your warmth caresses
where I long to dwell
Your kiss
a secret you’ll never tell
You touch his lips
so soft
so fair
And linger
where my heart would dare
You cradle his breath
his whispered sighs
While I remain
in longing’s disguise
Each sip he takes
a lover’s vow
And I
an outsider
wonder how
A lifeless cup
could hold such grace
Could taste the soul
I cannot trace
The steam
that rises meets his gaze
A fleeting veil
a fleeting haze
Yet even that
I envy still
For it touches him
against my will
Oh foolish heart
why ache so much?
For lips
you’ll never truly touch?
Yet still
I pine
my longing steeped
For love that’s his
but never reaped

Beneath the Dublin sky

I wish I were the rain
so light
so near
That kisses your umbrella
crystal-clear
As you wander
where battles once did rage
Through Dublin’s streets
each stone a page
I’d dance upon the threads
of history’s veil
Soft whispers in the air
a lover’s tale
Each droplet falls
erasing pain and strife
Replacing death
with dreams of present life
I wish I were the wind
that finds your face
That tangles in your beard
a golden grace
The hue that leprechauns
hold dear and bright
A flame of hope
within the city’s night
I’d sweep away the shadows
grief
and woe
And gift the dubliner’s hearts
a tranquil glow
Let laughter bloom
where sorrow used to stay
And peace endure
beneath the skies of grey
Oh let me be the breeze
the rain
the song
To walk beside you
gently
all day long
To be a part
of every step you take
And soothe the aching world
for love’s sweet sake

A soul of stone

My soul is carved
in the Burren’s stone
Where ancient winds
have softly flown
Upon that limestone
grey and bare
A whisper lingers in the air
No velvet earth
no fertile green
But cracks where life
has faintly been
Yet in its crevices
flowers bloom
Defying harshness
defying doom
The rocks endure
the tempest’s cry
Beneath the changeless
brooding sky
Their silence speaks
of battles fought
Of wisdom age and strife
have wrought
Like them
my soul bears marks of time
Of sorrow’s weight
of grief’s climb
But rooted deep
it will not break
A steadfast heart
no storm can shake
Among the stones
the wild things grow
The gentian blue
the hawthorn’s glow
So too within
a quiet grace
A fragile beauty
finds its place
Oh Boireann
teach me how to be
As strong as stone
as wild
as free
For in your rocks
I see my own
A soul of earth
a heart of stone

True love

True love
is not a cage of gold
Nor chains that bind
nor hands that hold
It does not claim
it does not own
But lets the spirit
soar alone
It walks beside
but does not steer
It whispers soft
yet draws no fear
Like wind that bends
the trembling tree
It touches all
yet leaves it free
No jealous shadow
darkens grace
No need to cling
no frantic chase
True love is freedom’s
steady gaze
A beacon
through life’s shifting haze
It blooms in trust
it thrives in air
Where hearts are light
and minds are bare
Like rivers
flowing to the sea
It finds its course
eternally
For love that seeks to lock
confine
Will wither fast
a fading vine
But love that opens
wide and true
Will blossom bright
forever new
So let your love
be wild and wise
As fleeting
as the starry skies
For in its freedom
hearts take flight
A boundless joy
a pure delight

The heart of Ireland

In the misty hills
where the green winds blow
The heart of Ireland
beats steady and slow
With eyes like the sea
fierce and deep
A soul that the storm
cannot break or sweep
Proud and true
with heads held high
They face the world
with a fearless sigh
Through centuries of trials
their spirit has stood
A people born of fire
of struggle
and blood
In their laughter is strength
in their silence is grace
In every wrinkle
a story
a face
With hands that build
and hearts that heal
They carry a love
that is raw and real
From the cobbled streets
to the rolling green
In every whisper
their dignity is seen
They bow to no one
though humble they stand
For they are the keepers
of this ancient land
The Irish are proud
not with boast or pride
But with a dignity
that cannot hide
For in every man
and in every tree
Is the heart of Ireland
forever free

The wall of silence

I stand before them
words unspoken
For in their gaze
all hope is broken
Their voices rise
so sure
so loud
While mine is lost
within the crowd
They wear their pride
like a golden crown
Blinded by their own
renown
With every word
they build their wall
A fortress strong
a silent call
I try to speak
to break the chain
But my words fall
like drops of rain
They don’t hear
they never see
The person hidden
deep in me
Their world revolves
with them at the core
And mine is left to whisper
implore
But no echo comes
no understanding found
In their realm
my voice cannot resound
So I retreat
in silence dwell
Where my thoughts
can rise and swell
For arrogance and narcissistic
reign
Leave me lost
in their empty disdain
I seek the quiet
the listening ear
Where empathy blooms
and hearts draw near
But with them
all is cold and bright
A world where my voice
is lost to the night

Resilience

Through winds
that howl and skies that weep
I walk
though weary
with steps that creep
The world may break
the shadows may fall
But I rise again
though I stand so small
Beneath the weight
of sorrow’s hand
I find the strength
to understand
That every wound
though deep and wide
Gives birth to courage
that I cannot hide
Like roots that burrow
through the stone
In silence deep
I find my throne
For even
in the darkest night
A spark within me
still holds light
The storms may rage
the tides may roar
But I stand unbroken
on the shore
With every scar
my soul grows strong
A silent anthem
a whispered song
Through shattered dreams
and hopes delayed
I rise from ashes
unafraid
For resilience lives
within the heart
A steady flame
that will not depart
So let the winds
come howling near
And bring with them
the weight of fear
For in the depths
of all despair
I find the strength
to rise and care

Empathy

In the silence
of a winter’s eve
I hear the hearts
that softly grieve
A whisper of their sorrowed
cries
Echoing beneath
the open skies
Not with my ears
but with my soul
I feel the burden
the endless toll
Of those who walk
with pain untold
Their suffering wrapped
in shadows cold
Empathy
a tender thread
Woven through the tears
they shed
A bond that reaches
far and wide
Across the distance
none can hide
I walk beside them
unseen
A stranger’s heart
in places keen
A touch so soft
a glance so deep
Into their anguish
I gently creep
I carry their weight
though unseen
In every breath
their sorrow’s sheen
For in their eyes
I see my own
A shared reflection
not alone
Empathy
the gift we bear
A kindness pure
a sacred prayer
For in the depths
of another’s pain
We find our own hearts
break again