Aine MacAodha's Blog: My blog

Aine MacAodha - Poetry and Lens: Mise Eire: ~ Talk to me of bogs, of blankets on the land. Talk to me of myths you have at your command. Tell me of Cu Chulainn, the hero houn...

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Talk to me of bogs, of blankets on the land.
Talk to me of myths you have at your command.
Tell me of Cu Chulainn, the hero hound of Ulster,
the battles of the Tain Bo and the warriors of Munster,
the progress of the firbolgs. The De danaans on the hill
remind me of our legends of folklore through the quill.
Talk to me of forests, of flora and fauna there.
Talk to me of mountains in Tyrone and in Kildare.
Tell me now of the future of equality in the land.
Speak to me of serenity, so the tribes can understand.

Rossknowlagh Strand
It’s late Octoberthe edge of the wateris layered in white foaman aran scarf curved alongthe seas icy grip.Sand is wintered hard.Sea far out curls and slapson southern winds and I brace myself for the mile walk.East wind cuts to the bonein a place like this,whips away summers lightnessand reminds me that to enjoy oneI must embrace the other with joy too.The gulls straggling the shorefind it difficult to stay afloat.I make faces to the wind as itcarves its grip in my crows feet.The hotel lights guide me backback to a warm coffee potback to write and my mindfreed from world thoughtsgets to work.

Alternatives
Beneath the moons full lightI feel mendeda gansey with a dropped stitchdarned and shapely once again.
When alone on a night like thisi'm not a bit lonely, far from itI embrace it like some kind of witch.
Had this been a few hundred years agoI’d be scorned and perhapshung from a tree.
Crystals cleanse in the moonlighttheir energy renewed and readyto battle the chakras,
balance the body once again.When the body is out of kilteranything can happen.
If the medical world can’t fix itthe alternative is worth a try, isn’t it?

New poems have been published in issue 27 of A New Ulster, link below ~

https://sites.google.com/site/anewuls...

My collection 'Where the Three Rivers Meet' has just been published, get this free to download Ebook from The Argotist Online  Edited by Jeffrey Side.
"Description:
"Where the Three Rivers Meet" is a collection of poems linguistically evocative of 17th century Irish Gaelic poetry, although written in English. The poems are rich with references and imagery that evoke the mythos of Ireland’s ancient history and Celtic traditions. The landscape is also figured, with an affection and respect, not only for its actuality but also for its vitality and mystery. In some respects, this poetry has a connectedness to the ancient traditions and concerns figuratively expressed in various earth religions, as well as in Celtic Christianity.


http://www.argotistonline.co.uk/WHERE%20THE%20THREE%20RIVERS%20MEET.pdf

Below is a link to the full list of Ebooks published on The Argotist Online.

With thanks to Jeff Side Editor.


list of The Argotists Online Ebooks

First published in A New Ulster ANU issue 10.





Keepers 
Nature collects thingsis a hoarder of future finds.stones on the riverbedthat memorize climate changeson natures universal calendarA simple hedgerow in Irelandlayered in various thornoften reveal ancient thingsbeneath and around its presenceto a casual walker, a pile ofold stone from a wall badly erectedto others its natures way ofgiving birth again to past ways.often we forget in the momentour lives so busy.Nature collects thingseven the wind whispers secretsblown through the centuriescaught in the opened mindof the one learning to listen.

Seekers of truth


Truths like crystals lie buried under earth
under ancient oaks and long forgotten pathways
leading to the ocean.
In the songs of yesterday adrift on the spring mist
as I gaze out over the hills.
In layers of prayers petitioned
to the universal spirit.
In cosmic shifts of a soul’s migration
from way before birth
to beyond the end of life.
We seek it in books
in passing thoughts that nudge us
towards a face in the crowd.
In the faces of the old.
With others on the journey
truth emerges out of the dark
returning as the light
within.

From 'Guth an Anam'

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/ainemacaodha

Bundoran, County Donegal


Embracing the salt curtain of the green Atlantic
sway to and fro towards me;
waves rest on the algae rocks rounded to a
smooth knob. Belts of seaweed find resting places
in pools of water clear as amber.
I hear the children’s screams from the ghost train
shuttling in the distance, but the Atlantic calls
me back towards it again. Stained by history,
there’s something about this ocean that calls
to me, healing my winter worn trunk.
Perhaps it’s there, deep in the blue where I’ll find
solace. Where old wrecks filled with tales
from when time began, uniting stories of inland
folk finding gods in the wilderness of boglands
and meeting goddesses of the deep.



http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/ainemacaodha

Aine MacAodha - Poetry and Lens: Poem ~ Flame: flame It draws my eyes this little fire with its uneasy soft flickers and attempts to sizzle out i hope it doe...