The walls have textures
dents, lines and cracks
Iโve never noticed before,
a grease mark that sends
me scurrying for rubber gloves
and detergent, then I spot
the lonely paw print,
impossibly high, no cat
could stretch that far,
and why only one?
She couldnโt have reached
down from somewhere
higher, itโs the wrong way
round for that.
I stand back, twist and turn
another step away
to peruse it from a slightly
different angle
still it makes no sense.
I crouch underneath,
reach up, testing my flexibility
the cat looks at me as if
Iโve gone insane, glares,
then stands mewing by
her bowl.
Itโs dinner time and Iโve
lost the hours since lunch.
ยฉNiamh Corcoran 31/3/โ20
A fragment of life
spoken through gritted teeth
choking back the tears
you thought you knew her
yet youโre hearing of
feats and deeds, courage
that were not part of
your conversations
you weep again
for the woman you knew
the one you didnโt
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.
ยฉ Niamh Corcoran 8/9/19
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, allย 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, allย 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.
ยฉNiamh Corcoranย 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
ยฉNiamh 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.
ยฉNiamh Corcoran
Niamh 