Live Encounters Poetry & Writing 16th Anniversary Volume Six
November- December 2025
White Noise, poems by Helen Dempsey.
White Noise
Hearing aids heighten
background chatter
(I know there is an app
there always is).
Time has robbed me
of a quiet place
somewhere to be,
a sensory garden
soothing sounds
scratches of ballpoint on paper.
But no.
Let me appreciate the noise,
the hearing.
Listen for the tone of angst,
grief, exhaustion, pleading
in a vacuum of busyness
shouting in a space bubble
where no one takes notice
afraid of hearing too much.
When I Forget You
(for E.K.)
They are my arms around you
when you embrace me.
Your kiss is on my lips.
They are still my eyes
though my blank stare upsets you.
My mind is not all of me,
I’m still here.
When you hold my hand, it is
the same one on which you put a ring.
Our children are part of us.
They have traits, gestures, sounds
I once showed, made, said.
When I forget you,
think of our young love,
the better not the worst,
the health not the sickness,
the richness of all we have cherished.
My mind is not all of me,
remember for us.
Garden Stage
He watches there
often;
on the fence post,
possessor of his territory.
Wary
of the artificial hawk
circling the limit
of its tether.
The oystercatcher cries
desperately
caught between the fence
and escallonia hedge
in its panic
it cannot see a way out.
The redbreast utters
siren notes
messages from a visiting soul.
Reassurance for family lore,
flutters. The oystercatcher
registers its escape
© Helen Dempsey
Dublin-born Helen Dempsey lives in Rush, Co. Dublin and has had poems published in anthologies, magazines, online, local radio, readings and open mic sessions. She won Fingal Libraries’ Poetry Day competition 2018, 2021; a commended and highly commended award in the Jonathan Swift Poetry Competition 2017 and winner in 2023. She was shortlisted for the Bridport prize, 2018 and 2023. Most recently her poems have appeared in Live Encounters, A New Ulster, Flare, The Storms and The Ireland Chair of Poetry Commemorative Anthology, Hold Open the Door. A member of the Ardgillan Creative Writers’ Group, she holds a Masters Degree in Poetry Studies from D.C.U. Planting a Pear Tree her debut collection was published by Revival Press in 2024. https://limerickwriterscentre.com/