Dublin, Double, Doubt - Marcella Boccia

The solitude and the friend

In quiet walks
where shadows fall
I find my peace
away from all
The world can spin
its noise and haste
But I
in silence
am embraced
A soul untethered
free to roam
Through empty streets
I make my home
No eyes to pierce
no words to bind
In solitude
my heart aligned
Yet in the stillness
fate did weave
A thread of joy
I could not believe
A friend appeared
with gentle eyes
And in their gaze
no swift disguise
No judgment fell
no harsh decree
Just open arms
a place to be
Through all my flaws
they saw me whole
A mirror clear
reflecting soul
In solitude
I learned to grow
But with this friend
I learned to glow
For in their love
so kind and pure
I found the joy
I’d longed for
sure
No chains
no walls
no distance wide
Just hearts entwined
no need to hide
In solitude
I find my grace
But with my friend
I’ve found my place

The beauty of the soul

Oh beauty
not of flesh or fleeting face
But in the depth
where silent shadows trace
A light that burns
without the need for flame
A tender fire that speaks
no earthly name
It lingers in the quiet
of the night
A star unseen
yet steady in its flight
It whispers through the winds
that kiss the trees
A secret song
that dances on the breeze
No mirror holds its shape
no canvas paints
For it is boundless
free from worldly constraints
It wears no crown
nor jewels
nor grand array
Yet in its glow
the world will find its way
The soul
a river winding through the years
Its beauty carved by laughter
blood
and tears
Not in the eyes of others
does it rest
But in the heart
it wears its truest vest
For beauty born of soul
is ever true
A gift that ages not
and cannot rue
It shines through every trial
storm
and strife
The quiet grace
that marks a life with life

Emerald isle

A veil of green
so deep, so wide
Where hills and valleys
gently bide
An island kissed
by mist and rain
Its beauty soft
a sweet refrain
Fields stretch far
a quilt of dreams
Through which the golden sunlight
streams
And rivers dance
to ancient songs
While time moves slow
where it belongs
Here castles stand
both proud and frail
Their walls alive
with whispered tale
Of warriors bold and poets’
cries
Beneath the ever-changing skies
Each village hides
a world apart
A beating soul
a timeless heart
Stone bridges arch
where waters weave
And secrets rest
in every eve
The cliffs
they rise
defy the sea
A boundary wild
Unchained
and free
And forests hum
with life unseen
Where shadows play
in hues of green
Oh Emerald Isle
a faerie’s song
Your wonders call
where hearts belong
A land untouched
where dreams reside
Forever fair
our endless guide

Dubh Linn

Beneath the city’s
restless sprawl
Where shadows linger
whispers call
There lay a pool
so deep
so still
Fed by Poddle
shaped by will
The Liffey’s arms
would intertwine
With waters dark
a blackened shrine
Dubh Linn
the name it bore with pride
A mirror where
the world could hide
Its depths held secrets
stories spun
Of moonlit nights
and fleeting sun
A sacred place
a shadowed gleam
A city born
from a quiet dream
Through marsh and reed
the currents played
The soft lament
where Poddle strayed
Its breath still lingers
though unseen
In Dubliner hearts
forever keen
Now cobblestones
and bustling ways
Have claimed the pool
of ancient days
Yet echoes rise
a ghostly trace
Of blackened waters
time’s embrace
Dubh Linn
he heart beneath the stone
Your name still carves
what we call home
For even
where your pool has fled
The soul you forged
is far from dead

In the footsteps of Olof the White

Through cobbled lanes
of Dublin’s might
Where red-brick whispers
haunt the night
I wander lost
yet not alone
For shadows claim
my heart their throne
A phantom walks
beside my stride
A Viking king
with solemn pride
Olof the White
with sword once drawn
Who ruled this land
ere love was gone
His presence hums
a muted roar
A tale of blood
of ancient lore
The Liffey’s song
the gulls’ refrain
Echo his conquests
lost
yet gained
“Do you seek peace?”
his voice does call
“Through lanes
where empires rose and fall
The walls you pass
have seen my name
Etched deep in glory
etched in shame.
The bricks seem warmer
where he treads
The living dream
among the dead
I turn to meet
his steady gaze
A thousand years
blend in the haze
“I sought a kingdom built on stone
But found no solace on the throne"
This city’s breath
its cobbled veins
Still bear the weight of my remains.
I shiver ’neath
his spectral light
This Viking king
this fleeting knight
And yet his tale
does pierce my core
A love of place
that yearns for more
For Dublin holds
what time can’t sever
A pulse that beats
through past forever
And though
I walk its streets alone
Its spirit whispers
“You’re our own”

Ode to Dublin

Oh Dublin
city of my dreams
Where every street
in twilight gleams
Your cobbled lanes
with stories old
Hold echoes of the brave
and bold
Your river flows
with silver grace
A mirror
to your rugged face
And in its depths
the past does glide
A phantom tide
a whispered guide
Your sky
a canvas brushed with gold
Where ancient winds
still dare to hold
The secrets
of the countless years
And sing the song
of hopes and fears
Beneath your moon
the shadows dance
The echo of a lover’s
trance
Where poets once
with pen in hand
Wove words to free
this quiet land
Your heart beats strong
beneath the stone
A pulse that whispers
soft
alone
Yet in your veins
the spirit’s flame
Still burns with courage
fierce
untamed
Oh Dublin
land of grief and song
In you
the ages all belong
Your laughter lives
within the rain
Your sorrow
too
a sweet refrain
And though the years
may steal your light
Your soul will burn
through darkest night
For in your depths
and in your skies
The truth of Ireland
never dies
I walk your streets
your dreams unfold
A city built
from blood and gold
Oh Dublin
in your arms I stay
And in your heart
I’ll find my way

Unspoken flame

In the dim-lit haze
of Dublin’s breath
Where shadows dance
with life and death
I saw you there
a fleeting star
A beacon bright
yet kept afar
Your russet beard
a fire untamed
A heart unspoken
yet unblamed
Your voice
a thread of ancient lore
Bound my soul
and shook its core
Oh crimson flame
my secret woe
How cruel it is
to let you go
To hold my tongue
though it might sing
And shatter this enchanted ring
For what is love
if not this ache
A perfect moment
I dare not break?
Your laughter
soft as autumn’s breeze
Has left my spirit
on its knees
I sit in silence
drink the night
And steal a glance
by candlelight
You’ll never know
for I will hide
The tide that swells
unspoken
inside
But if you knew
would it remain
A fleeting joy
or sweetened pain?
Better to keep
this fragile bliss
Than taint its glow
with a mortal kiss
So here I linger
in shadow’s embrace
A ghost in love
with your fleeting face
An echo bound
to the cobbled stone
Forever silent
forever alone

Your hands

Your hands
like rivers carved by time
Guided my wintered soul
to warmth
Fingers long as harp strings
Soft as moss on stone
When your beard
brushed my cheek
A forest of shadows
danced on my skin
And the kiss lingered
As if winter had breathed spring
into my veins
Your eyes
dark lakes beneath a rainy sky
Tell stories
that dare not find words,
And in every glance
a secret hides
A weave of pain and beauty
only you can bear
Your voice
a wind brushing over the hills
Whispered my name
like a prayer
And in the silence that followed
My heart stood still
caught between
dream and reality

The Viking heart
(📝Marcella Boccia)
He wears a smile
as soft as dawn
A charm to lift
a veil to fawn
But underneath
the laughter lies
A deeper sorrow
in his eyes
His gaze
though bright
is shy
withdrawn
A warrior’s heart
yet it feels worn
Like ancient blood
both fierce and bold
A Celtic flame
that cannot cold
O gentle soul
with kindness free
What hidden storm
you try to flee
Your gallant ways
your charm
your grace
Are shields that hide
your tender face
I’d wander far
through nights and days
To bring you joy
in soft array
To lift the shadows
that you wear
And teach you joy
beyond despair
For in your veins
the rivers run
Of Viking hearts
beneath the sun
You hold a strength
that none can see
Yet I would give my heart
to thee
And though you mask
with smile and cheer
Your valiant soul
I hold so dear
For in your silence
truth does bleed
And in your heart
my own shall heed

The black harp
(📝Marcella Boccia)
Beneath the lights
of Dublin’s glow
I sat where winter
winds did blow
And found my skin
a canvas bare
For ink to weave
a story there
An harp so small
yet full of might
A blackened echo
in the night
Its strings
though silent
still do sing
Of ancient kings
of Ireland’s spring
For Brian
mighty in his reign
Whose blood
through time
will still remain
Did carry songs
upon the breeze
That whispered soft
through Celtic trees
A symbol carved
upon my skin
To mark the fire
that burns within
The heart of Ireland
fierce and free
A pulse that calls
through history
And as the ink
now settles deep
I feel the weight
of oaths to keep
For in that harp
both proud and pure
I hold the past
that will endure
A Christmas gift
beneath the stars
A bridge from now
to ancient wars
To Brian’s dream
to Celtic lore
A tattooed song
forevermore