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14th Anniversary Edition, Live Encounters Poetry & Writing Volume Two Nov-Dec 2023.
Show Time, poems by Finbar Lennon.
Show Time
So many shows on so many stations
my own little world so small
so infinitesimally small
confined to base by status orange
outside front – traffic in flight
outside back – garden in glow
opportunity knocks for more
leave dreary front alone
footsteps lead to magic show
snapped in snow this morning
half-bent weighed-down trees
covered in tons of white fall
sagging branches dripping slow
icicles prying on my nose
clumps of vanilla next to go
then out of cue sky turns blue
a sudden change in climate too
sun at stroke revives the show
trees shed their cloudy load
slush and sleet swept down street
my day out to capture and record
no longer small, today stand tall.
Fragments
‘Stepping out loud’ is a brand of shoe leather
shaped like foot to fit a shoe with steel soles
red globe that flashes twice every seven seconds
is on port side of liner waiting to leave dock
white lights in premium space visible from shore
noisy dancers boarded from sea with high fives
all snug in three adjacent cabins on top deck
captain knows numbers and how many foxtrot
no time for everything – smile from front seat
car passes author climbing hill where tree was felled
stump on high baring age, boughs on roadside wall
facing out while he kicks loose stones for company
on descent passes woman with loud voice and nose peg,
silent man waving arms, cracked windscreen with tale,
machine on manoeuvres trimming lawn of growth
driven by remote stick out of view – all too much for him
after turning corner 16 paces more to cemetery gate
entered at high end of day to greet return of butterflies.
Not dead yet
The visible you, pealing laughter
signs of wear jostling for notice
face-time for size and shapes
not a sight for sore eyes
all the trouble brewing inside
silent to bearer of passport
no wish to open can for now
no questions for the listener
life in disguise a poorly refuge
shorter – the longer it lasts
erudite should know better
inner man forgiving for so long
until senses are disturbed
warning shots fired inside drum
listener still beside to help
to figure why it’s not in bloom.
© Finbar Lennon
Finbar Lennon is a retired surgeon, accidental author and poet. He co-authored his late wife’s memoir “The Heavens are all Blue” published by Hachette Ireland in 2020. He is the author of three collections of poetry, ‘NOW’, ‘A Thimble on her Finger’ and ‘VOICES’ (Lapwing Publications, Belfast, 2021/2022). His latest collection ‘VOICES’ was launched in the Irish Writers Centre(IWC) in Dublin in March 2023. He is a member of the Bealtaine Writers Group and has been a frequent contributor to ‘Open Mic’ events in the IWC in recent years. Some of his poems have been published online in Live Encounters. A number have also appeared online on the Planet Earth Poetry and Viewless Wings’ websites and some in ‘The Consultant’, an Irish print journal.
Loved all the poems .
My main thought being the poems are lighter and optimistic than previously although I must say I do love the darker side, there is an edge to all of Finbar’s poetry.
I have just read ” The Heavens are all Blue ” again for the second time.
The book is a masterpiece .
I love these poems. They are a new departure for Finbar and it will take me more reflection and a few more readings for the full appreciation to dawn on me. I love them.