Live Encounters Poetry & Writing Volume One November-December 2024
Solo, poems by Colette Nic Aodha.
Solo
The lady in the tobacco kiosk in the local shopping centre
has a beautiful daughter; slim and tall with straight black hair
but unable to speak English, like her mother, I purchase
two boxes of Cuban cigars and ponder over cigarettes
for my son; the athlete. While I procrastinate the pool
attendant transforms himself into a lizard and crawls under
my sunbed, awaiting my return; a serpent of few words.
Later, only the odd grunt my way, a puny chicken crisscrosses my path,
I befriend a Finish girl who runs a boutique; she advises that it is more beautiful here.
I paint my toenails sunset orange and make the best of it,
twilight has eluded me these past four days;
eager for a red sky I forgo any fiesta, lagarto slithers from under my bed,
Cockerel chases chicken in the garden, sun slides behind cloud,
thinking in English as the pool attendant gives a non
denominational nod. I try and make sense of new Spanish; hand, the word for drink,
the friendly waiter at the local cafe. I sip black coffee and write,
just figured out who does the early shift and indulge in a cream slice; no substitute,
waiter jokes as he leaves it on my table, another employee in evening dress
takes over the night shift, flowers blossom all year around,
birds sing from dawn to twilight; dressing and eating the only exercise
in the absence of hunting and gathering. I stroll the mild evening air to the shore;
audience to a choir of waves crashing I examine lengthening shadows at Surfers Cove
Vertical Drop
Not wanting to fall at the last hurdle
and be found storing coal in the bathroom
or with cows lowing in the pasture of his bedchamber
he resolved to take her to dinner, his treat,
make polite simile and metaphor, she thought his speech
lilted classical and was impressed with the bachelor piece
despite previous undertakings never again to sit in his audience.
Later they waltzed and did the foxtrot beneath Egyptian
cotton and silken moon, he was all petals and silver gilding
but when the sun surfaced and without the consolation
of night’s blanket it was the customary underground river
to be negotiated, potholing in treacherous straits.
Leaving High Kings
On the crossing from the fortress of Laoghaire
son of Niall Naoi nGiallach or Niall of the Nine
Hostages, brother of Cairbre-
memories of struggling with alliteration,
I searched for strains of ancient chivalry
as I closed in on Cymru.
A host of modern motorways
instead of firey red dragons
battling the knighta of Y Gododdin
or Ambrosius Aurelianus,
as visualized by the venerable Gildas.
I scrutinize scenes from the bus window
for any trace of Bedwyr from Pa Gur Yv Y Porthaur
who returned Excalibur to its rightful lady.
Night sky is diluted pots of Indian ink,
and I dream of carpet the colour of sunflowers.
© Colette Nic Aodha
Dr Colette Nic Aodha’s academic monograph, David Jones, Disability, and Modernist Form is forthcoming in 2025 from Bloomsbury Academic Press. During the month of September, 2024, Colette’s art was exhibited as part of Tús exhibition celebrating 100 years of Galway libraries. Colette Nic Aodha is an award-winning poet and a visual artist who resides in Galway in the West of Ireland and has just completed a Ph.D., with the University of Galway, Discipline of English. Colette had her first solo exhibition, Imbolc, at Galway City Library, February 2023. She has exhibited her work with Quest, Artspace, UachtarArts, and Arts & Disability Ireland. She writes in both Irish and English, has fifteen volumes published which are mainly poetry collections but also include a volume of short stories, Ádh Mór, as well as an academic study of the blind poet Anthony Raftery, an 18th century bard whose songs and poems are still recited and sung today. She has one volume of English poetry, Sundial, which was published by Arlen House Press, She also has two dual language collections of poetry by the same publisher; Between Curses: Bainne Géar, and In Castlewood: An Ghaoth Aduaidh. Her work is on the syllabus in Primary, Secondary and Third Level colleges. Colette’s collected works (bilingual) entitled Bainne Géár: Sour Milk, is available in hardback and softback, published by Arlen House, 2016. Her most recent published collection of Irish language poetry and visual art, Réabhlóideach is published by Coiscéim, Dublin, 2020.
Love these quirky NicAodha poems. Great work, as always, Colette. McD.