Goodbye Bohemia

It starts, back there, somewhere
In the childhood,
the Oedipal melange.
Where, I am always right.
And then it proceeds in search
of doctrines, always right.
Goodbye Bohemia and Weimar.

For those places are free,
and every view coheres to
shape Geography,
from freedom of thought,
to freedom of mind and person.

The Spirit is a private thing,
and privately attracts,
like mindedness.
There is a Society in freedom.

But moving on from being right

[...] Read more

poem by Bernard Kennedy
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

The Manse Gate

At a wave of his hand, with his eye on the traffic,
Underneath his yellow helmet head,
the bulldozer, lifting its beak
Came down upon the old Manse gate,
And in a second, with its pillars
And walls, were rubble for the road,
foundation.
Contributing to its raiso d'etre, passe.

you leave Marlay Park, on the Grange Road side,
the exit gate, facing what was a Manse,
you could have seen it,
a status of Gentry.

Those walls kept in an ethos,
those gate let in a class,
of carriages and conversation.

To a long, winding, Elms driveway,
the Manse well gone.

[...] Read more

poem by Bernard Kennedy
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

sligo dream of Lorca

I dream of lorca
as the hills are lit by dawn.
The Sligo landscape into view,
the farmers wife with porridge
the breakfast makes.
The farmers early breakfasting
for sheep hills to be tended,
the cows awaken in the dawn,
the son in Boston breaks the
mother distant heart,
the field yields slow.

The outline of the trees,
seen at night as shadow,
into life will come at day,
as Lorca dies beneath the blows
as Christ three times he falls.

As he falls the frosted dawn,
the yearning pining of the sligo

[...] Read more

poem by Bernard Kennedy
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

Church in evening May

The evening comes down lately in May,
the church bell from the tower rings,
the train rattles through the lanes
of Dublin housing hedgerows.
The grounds are tidy, flagpoles white,
the fuschia flowers again,
the priestly Sunday job is done
the eremitical seal.

Then the staircase,
duvet dream,
and visit from remembering
and wish.
the morning bell like lauds again,
awake the slumbering souls.
And yawn for like a triduum comes
the routine rush and stale staccato.
of novena repetition.

The graveside down the road is full,

[...] Read more

poem by Bernard Kennedy
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

Gypsy Dance of love

We danced like gypsies in the heat of day,
and matched our colors bright and gay,
and music strings brought tears of love,
and bands of strolling players moved above,
our village tent.

Then when the music stops, and day
of love is done, and colors then are grey,
I will recall the gypsy dance and flame,
and call it back from lowered calming fire.

For we did dance and we did sing,
and we did love with every Spring,
as summer heat lit up the lovers field,
no winter snow will ice what we did feel.

I will recall the gypsy dance and fire,
and if your gone i will be sad and tire,
for in my heart and dreams you stay,
and we can dance the night away,

[...] Read more

poem by Bernard Kennedy
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

Night

I love to hear the silence of the night.
That time, when distance draws so near,
and memories come, and far sounds,
undisturbed, so close.
For night is dark and only self is true.
A self whose rest and past, are
only breaths away.
Yet for some,
the night may haunt and fear,
its conscience time, when curtains
closed are drawn.
So too, ones inner self and past,
to joy or fright, the
inner spirits will.

It is a blessed thing this night.
Was it not night when Christ came home,
and balanced Judas evil deed.
And blessed night,
when monks now rise and pray,

[...] Read more

poem by Bernard Kennedy
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

In Memory

Your coffin was carried
slowly through,
the door where, you had stood
many times greeting others.
Now we greeted you,
your remains, for you are gone.
Your friends cried because
it was true,
Goula was dead.

Actress, poet, whom Kennelly
read with joy, a painter,
wife and animal lover.
Leaving food for the fox in winter,
the stray cat through the open
kitchen window comes,
the dog runs to meet his sitter.

Your Civil Defence friends
gathered in honour

[...] Read more

poem by Bernard Kennedy
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

May Night

The evening comes down lately in May,
The Church bell from the tower rings,
the train rattles past the distanced
red bricked decency.
The bills for candles, doors painted
and keys replaced.
The grounds tidy and flagpoles white
and fuschia flowers again.
The money counted, banked and sent
to pay those higher up.
The priestly call this day is done
my life eremitically sealed.
And then the staircase,
sleep and dream,
and wait the morning bell
across the wall,
And shake the morning Echium Flower
from out its slumber.

No statues hopefully have moved,

[...] Read more

poem by Bernard Kennedy
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

Traveller from afar

I met a traveller from an antique land,
and saw beneath that turbaned head
not a visitor but brother too,
though lineage was but black and white.

What was far away, and camels feet away,
and ships sails away, pirated too away.
Yet walking on my street his street,
and close to his ribs held a Dublin girl,
close to his ribs.
As if God's hand had returned the joints of Adam
and joined again in one.
She laughed and threw her happy head,
and smiled and kissed his darkened brow,
his blackened brow,
as mahogany is dark.
And it was love.

He held her close and matching hair
his skin was foreign shining joy,

[...] Read more

poem by Bernard Kennedy
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

Old Blue Eyes

He was hungry for dinner at eight,
and swaggered onto music stage,
with audiences eager for song,
and presence of the confident master of
control,
in life and film and legend.
From black-haired youth to grey old man,
a colossus, who could
make it there and anywhere,
it was up to him.

Women's love filled that need
of affection, and
men the saloon chums,
song gathered eyes of
the blue sea of admiration
from sixty years,
through cinema and song.

When your awaited death,

[...] Read more

poem by Bernard Kennedy
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!