A fragment of life
spoken through gritted teeth
choking back the tears
you thought you knew her
yet you’re hearing of
feats and deeds, courage
that were not part of
your conversations
you weep again
for the woman you knew
the one you didn’t
and wish you had,
you only saw half
the mountains she climbed.
Come, look, see what we have done,
built towers of glistening glass
concrete and steel, reaching
ever higher, above the gloom,
majestic spires, concave, convex
creations, masterpieces of
engineering, so tall we
wonder how they stay upright
heads in the clouds we praise
our ingenuity as we peer down
at the streets below almost
hidden by the choke of fumes
we too have created; replacing
our forests, our fields of green
with monuments to our supposed
superior intelligence
where we can ignore the ongoing
destruction, of this place we call
home,
Do you remember the night
I held your hand
brushed your tears away
chased the monster from
under your bed
it had yellow teeth
purple spots on green skin
the longest claws ever seen
eyes like fish bowls
you’d drawn it in school
and made it real,
given it a home
where it kept you awake
in the early hours I was your
knight in shining armour
the bravest person you knew
you held me close told me
you’d never let me go.
Today the bed is gone,
you’ve moved out to start
your new life, an adult
I’ve shed a little tear
but know that I am near
should that scary monster
ever reappear.
© Niamh Corcoran 8/9/19
I can no longer hold you
or speak to you,
comfort you in your sorrow
but I am here.
I can no longer reach out a hand
to wipe away your tears,
assuage your fears,
but I am here.
In the warm sun on your back
in the gentle breeze
that carries your worries away
I am here.
In the soothing purr of a cat
the whisper of butterfly wings
the scent of a rose
I am here.
In the moon and the stars
that light up the night sky
I am never far from you.
I am here.
Though you cannot see me,
or touch me,
say my name silently or aloud
I am here.
©Niamh Hill
I am watching you
and everything you do
keeping careful note
of the way you move,
the clothes you wear
the way you do your hair
which colours you favour
the foods you choose
pretending I love you
that I’m in awe of you
you lap up each compliment
growing more trusting
and vulnerable with
every passing day
unaware that I am building
an ammunition store
I’ll use your trust and secrets
to diminish you, crush you
for I fear you, your strength,
generosity and ability to love
and that which scares me
must be destroyed.
crashing through my brain,
never stops,
round the clock,
always on the move.
Casual passengers
fight for space,
worries and fears
compete for seats,
Each breath seems
to shout out
all aboard, all aboard,
come keep me awake.
The night and dark,
welcomes each new thought.
Images flit and flee,
never staying within grasp.
Encouraging a chase,
to understand, to see
what they mean.
Only the dawning sun,
and beeping alarm,
see them on their way,
these night-time passengers
in the dark will stay.
crashing through my brain,
never stops,
round the clock,
always on the move.
Casual passengers
fight for space,
worries and fears
compete for seats,
Each breath seems
to shout out
all aboard, all aboard,
come keep me awake.
The night and dark,
welcomes each new thought.
Images flit and flee,
never staying within grasp.
Encouraging a chase,
to understand, to see
what they mean.
Only the dawning sun,
and beeping alarm,
see them on their way,
these night-time passengers
in the dark will stay.
©Niamh Corcoran 25/11/2011
the darkness beckons,
threatens to consume me,
the gossamer thread that
holds me here stretched
to its limits.
the future a flickering
pinprick,
there is comfort in the dark
an ease, a knowing, an ending,
today I may slip into
into its waiting arms
sever the links
to a life too hard
©Niamh Corcoran
Stay and hold me
so I can feel
your breath
cool on my cheek
your heartbeat
close to mine
the steadiness
of your feet
on the earth
if you let me go
or take your eyes
off me for a second
I am afraid
the wind of life
will seize me
in a frenzied whirl
and I may never
find my way home.
©Niamh Corcoran
When I look in your eyes
and our bodies meld
to become one
I know I shall never
really be alone
in those fleeting moments
my mind quieted
skin tingling
as if I’d stood in cold rain
breath ragged
hair awry
the sight of you
the feel and smell of you
will soon be a distant memory
but even without you
I know
I am whole, complete
always at one with the world
at my feet.
©Niamh Corcoran
