An Abha Uaigneach

( i gcuimhne Timmy Daly ó Dromtrasna)


Cá bhfuil sé?
cá bhfuil sé?
mo ghrá mo stór
cá bhfuil a shúile
ag stánadh ar m'áilleacht
ag taibhreamh 's ag gcuimhne liom
an uaigneas brónach
i rith i mo domhaineachta
níl mé abha anois
ach braointe deoira
gan é
gan a toitíní
's é ag rá scéalta dom
gach lá
gach tráthnóna samhraidh.

Tá na carraige crua anseo
aníos ón droichead bríonglóideach
's a comhluadar
's a ghrá
an brón ag briseadh mo chroí
's mo deoira sáile
ag rith thíos gan é
go dtí na dtonnta
croíbriste tráithe
ar mo thrá spalpatha
gan soilse lonrach a shúile
grámhar a fhaca
na sreachfhéachantí sioraí
níl mé ach uisce uaigneach
ar leiceann an h-úire
gan a boladh
faoi scamaill dubhach.

• Dave Kearns

Chuala Mé

Chula mé na sinsearach
's d'aistrigh siad mo guth
níl sé deacair a dúirt siad liom
ach simplí, simplí
cangailte na h-aoise
ceangailte sioraí
ceangailte spioraidí
ceangailte an comhsaol
gach rud 's duine
ceangailte le chéile
i sean ceangailte comhshaol púca
ceangailte na timpeallachta
's féidir tú é a cluinsint
sa na sean amhráin
cenagailte na h-abahann,
na sléibhte, 's an spéir
boladh linn féin
's boladh na saol
chuala mé na sinsearach
's d'éist mé leo
an freagra simplí sioraí
atá ann go deo.

• Dave Kearns

Decline

Yesterday I was writing very happy poetry playing with sounds, for some reason today the mood has switched completely. This is one I wrote a few weeks ago that captures this low mood. It is called Decline, there is a reference to Marabán in it. He was a 9th century warrior prince from Connacht who rejected the royal lifestyle for that of a Hermit. An excellent English version translated from Old Irish is in Michael Hartnett's 'Translations'.

• Decline

The blackened sap
that was my life
stain the leafed
remains of my existence
among the nettles
of time
red haws
cast themselves
to ground
in desponding grief
ivy creeps
in delighted greed
upon leafless boughs
ensnaring emptiness
in envied eeeriness
sneering at
Springless ceasing
arthritic gnarling
grips once extended
greened exclamation
in excruciating
enfolding of weakness
beneath the wheel
of seasonal change
loneliness' reign
takes hold
where only jackdaws
remain
scavenging existence
on the corpse
of season's past
Marabán's faith
is tested.

• Dave Kearns

Alba

Seo é ceann a scríobh mo chara Rita Ní Ghóilinn. Tá grá mór le Rita den Gaeilge is den Gaedhlig, is féidir leat a mhothúcháin a mhothaigh insa dán seo.

ALBA le Rita Ní Ghóilín

Tá fuaim na farraige
Fite fuaite fríd na foinn,
Rithim is leath-notaí
Mealltach' na bpíb,
Ag tarraingt an chroí,
Ceol córach na gaoith',
Ag scaipeadh uaigneas an scartha
ó thíortha chlanna Gael,
Comcheangailte le teanga,
Le tonnta is le stair,
Is ag athcruthú cairdis,
Mar amhrán úr grá.

Breathainn sé

Ceann crosta leiscúl is ladránach a scríobhas nuair a raibh mé tuirse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Braitheann Sé


Braitheann sé

Braitheann sé ar mo táimhe

Braitheann sé

Braitheann sé ar mo mhothucháin

Braitheann sé ar alán rudaí

Táim codaltach anois

Ba mhaith liom bheith ag cogaint ar mo bhrionglóide

Ba mhaith liom mo smig a cur síos ar an pilís

Briatheann sé

Ahhh ná bac

ca bhfuil mo leaba?

Níl am agam chun bheith ag útamáil
le aon rud

Anois seachain uaim!

• Dave Kearns

Fusional Dance

A poem about movement and courage dedicated to my friend Mel Makowski.



Fusional Dance

(Dedicated to Mel Makowski)

Pain’s realisation
Awfulness acknowledged
Contemplated
Felt
In the furnace of rejection
The hot iron of grief
Reluctantly realised
Grievingly released
Reality’s unmasking

Seering seething loss
Seeing……………
Slowly accomadated to acceptance
Oscillating though
Not deviating
Delving detail
In realising release

Dawning opportunity
To embrace
In creative enfolding
To explore
The faltering steps
Of freedom’s dance
Stutteringly moving
To confident fusion
Holistic awareness
Freeing depth
To expressive fusion

Enabling passion
Of pained celebration
Touching the depth
Of knowing
In all who attend
To detail’s dynamism

Delicacy
Greater than poise
Understanding
Invited to expression
Fleeting knowingness
Touching beyond
The final applause

Absorbing empathy
Bathing connectedness
In vicarious togetherness
Universality’s emabrace
Seen from
Living
Understood spiritually
More than now:
Before and after embrace
In eternal truth
Pirouetting past
Constraint’s confinement

Unlocked
To elusive wisdom
In creative
Fusion

Come with me
My faerie child
Come to my
Open hand
And hold what it
Appears you cannot understand

Forward…then back
Forward…then back
One…two….three….
Follow me…………....
Follow me…………....

Dave Kearns

IMRAM 2006

IMRAM Féile Litríochta Gaeilge (IMRAM - Festival of Irish/Gaelic Literature) took place from 10th to 15th of October. Wow!!! some great events. Diego Valverde reading Lorca's original works in Spainish that had been translated to Gaelic and English by Michael Hartnett, Tomás Mac Siomóin read Hartnett's Gaelic and English versions of Lorca's work on the Wednesay night.

Sean nós singing on the Saturday with Padragín Ní Ullacháin (what a voice) and Christine Primrose from from the Isle of Lewis. Followed by Lois De Paor and John Spillane singing and reciting. Electric stuff in the boom boom room in Conway's Bar.

On Sunday an open session of poetry with fantastically moving spiritual renditions of many slow airs bySteve Cooney and Tony Mac Mahon interspersed with sean nós from a wonderful young singer Lórcán Mac Mathúna. Open mic session afterwards wher some brilliant stuff was read out both as Gaeilge ( in Irish) and as béarla (in English). Recited a few from this blog myself.


Big thanks to Liam Carson and the gang for organising such a brilliant week, can't wait for next year.

Samhan - Dave Kearns

Trudging through
the moist decaying
leaves of autumn
crushing hazel and
chestnuts beneath
my awkward
stumbling steps
echoing the
wind crazed
tree tops

faltering thoughts
swept aside
by uncertainty's
dampening despair
change: drapes
decay in brown
and golden
declining light
fruits of labour
descend in completeness
surrendering to the
greater hand
fallowed fright
rages

my outstretched boughs
flailing helplessly
in turmoil tormentedness
running restlessness
trips itself
on rocks
that herald
my awaiting cairn
laughing out
lecherously
in eternal knowingness

the light changes
to coldened silver
Samahan's hand
traces cold threats
of realness
across my
worried brow
consolation deserts
frightened fear
self-traitored
in trerrorised tremoring

tears heat
reinforce coldness' grip
moistened leaves
stare in yellow
mirroring of
mortal panic
Samhan's darkness
descends

seeking out
my bones
to cast upon
her bonfire
I call out to
the air
tears fall like
leaves
'til fear
sings out
in Silence
in this......

birdless place.

• Dave Kearns

Ag Amharc

Ag amharc amach
tríd fuinneoga bhrionglóideach
gan aon rud a fhaca
ach mo taibreamh féin

Ag amharc amach
mo smaointe saoire ag eitilt
gan an gnáth tuisleach
táim taobh amuigh den cúngaracht

Ag stánadh
gan féachaint
ar aon rud
sásta sa bhomaite

Ag eitilt
suas go dtí
na realtaí
gan cosc
gan toisc
gan oír
gan anacair

Ag amharch amach
tríd fuinneoga bhrionglóideach
i neamh taibhreamhacha
ar m'each draíochta

Ag amharc amach
ag fanacht le faic
ag síothlú m'anam
idir an réaltach
's na realtaí
úd sa meisce bhrionglóideach
ná musc liom

Dave Kearns

Shed - Gerry Counihan

Shed

My brother placed a hand
On my lower back
To help me
Ascend into
The hired container
Which cost me
A thought on affection
And cost of space.
Narrowed distance.
Seventy pounds for skip
Seventy pounds for a touch.
The context was good
I was ripe for tact
We felt.

Gerry Counihan

Stad

Bhí mé ag leamh
an dán Scond
amuigh faoin aer
bhí m'aigne chorca
le samointe dubhacha
léigh mé an dán
is d'fhéach mé arís
bhí an drúcht ag soilse
ar méara féara
's na neantóg ag caithadh
dár aghaidh grátha
chuig na gaethe gréine
's bhí na seachóirí deirge
den fomhar ann
na fhírinne simplí
i mo measc.

An fhírinne
ag criostalacht
an soilse
's na duilleoga daireacha
ag caoineadh leis an gaoth
i dár thitim aníós
le h-áthas an rún simplí seo
mantra nua
mantra simplí
Stad mé is d'fhéach mé arís
Stad mé is d'fhéach mé arís.

• Dave Kearns

Crystal River

Crystal River

I sit upon your bank
enriched fulfilled
overflowing with
contented wisdom
satiated in
spiritual contentment

My soul cries
come with me river
come with me to
my world
She flashes her
twinkling crystal eyes
coyly

Whispers to me
in wren coded voice
‘tis not I who has
to go with you:
you must come to me
the eternally patient
bride:

Siddhartha my
first love
learned this through
all his journeying
all his seeking
the simple truth
that to you
I speak

Sit, here by my side
it’s no prince I seek
no mighty warrior
to save the meek
a stick gatherer
I desire
to tend my
Edenic garden

Who sits among
my beautiful jewels
who plays the mystery
of kingfishered brilliance
upon his flute
stay here
among my reeded hair

The world has nothing for us
in their frenzied hurry
beyond the truth
I, in crystallised reciprocation
return to your
lost, longing stare

Let my gentle hands
lap, caress upon
your bared feet
here together, forever
at this my
earthened throne.

• Dave Kearns

Welcome

Welcome to Irish Poetic Scratchings. The name is meant to convey the Irish sense of irreverance so as to make the blog welcoming to all without feeling intimidated. This though is not to undermine the seriousness with which poetry is to be taken. Enjoy the content.