The Villanelle

Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Refrain 1 (A1) Line 2 (b) Refrain 2 (A2) Line 4 (a) Line 5 (b) Refrain 1 (A1) Line 7 (a) Line 8 (b) Refrain 2 (A2) Line 10 (a) Line 11 (b) Refrain 1 (A1) Line 13 (a) Line 14 (b) Refrain 2 (A2) Line 16 (a) Line 17 (b) Refrain 1 (A1) Refrain 2 (A2)

Tom Dredge Launch

What is the Path of Progress? If you want to know maybe you should read Tom Dredge's chapbook. It's the fourth chapbook in the Boyne Writer's Group chapbook series.  I intend to read it from front to back later. Well done Tom and The Boyne Writers. I never say it really but I'm honoured to be part of such a progressive, industrious and supportive group. 

Tom is pictured below (middle) with Michael Farry (left) & Paddy Smith. I've also included a picture of myself & James  Lawless who attended and read a chapter from one of his books in the open mic. There's a lot more to see on The Boyne Writers Facebook page. I'm sure Michael Farry & Frank Murphy will blog about the night too. It was great to see Brendan Carey Kinnane back. He read in the open mic too. 

Venus

I think this photo was taken on November, 6th, but it's very like what I saw leaving work this evening except the moon had waxed.  Venus sat just above the horizon beneath the constellation of Sagittarius in the Milky Way Galaxy.  The older I get the more important this dark time of the year becomes, I think.

I've written two new poems.  One is about a child, a bird and berries.  The second is about the typhoon that hit the Philippines.  I'm working on an essay about the impact of social policy, legislation and agencies on early childhood care and education in Ireland.

Boyne Writers' Group Chapbook 4 - "The Path of Progess" by Tom Dredge

Tom reading at a Boyne Readings & Open Mic

Thanks to the Boyne Writers Group website for the information below:

On Thursday 21 November Boyne Writers Group will launch Chapbook 4, The Path of Progess by Tom Dredge, in its series of Boyne Chapbooks.

Tom Dredge is a member of Boyne Writers Group since 2008. His poetry has featured in Boyne Berries, Revival and in the WOW! Anthology. In 2012 he was commended in the Gregory O’Donoghue Poetry Competition and in 2013 he came third in the English section of the Frances Browne Multilingual Poetry Competition.

Tom is also a member of Bealtaine writers group based in the Irish Writers’ Centre, Dublin and is pictured below reading with that group in the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin as part of the Bealtaine Festival 2013.

He is a native of Dublin but has lived in Leixlip, Co. Kildare since 1982.

The launch takes place in the Castle Arch Hotel, Trim at 8pm on Thursday 21 November and Tom will read from his chapbook. This will be followed by an Open Mic open to all.

Boyne Writers' Group has published three chapbooks to date: Ashes and Snow by Michael Farry, Racket in the Air by Brendan Carey Kinnane and Drawn to the Light by Orla Fay. 

Underneath the Bridge

Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Awards Night 2013

I had a very interesting night at the Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Awards.  I'd only just about found Saggart Heritage and Arts Centre, which is well disguised, (it's located below the church in a yellow building) when who pulled up but Frank Murphy of The Meath Writers' Circle and The Tara Poetry Blog.

 

So on to business.  Maria Wallace was the jugde and she was aided by Mervyn Ennis in MC duties.  The commended short stories were Boats by Des McInerney, Hayseeds by Patrick A. Gavin, A Sense of Duty by Stewart Devitt, Block Party by Joe McKiernan and Alice by John Martin. 3rd prize went to Tightly Knit by Doreen Duffy, 2nd place went to Vivienne Kearns for her story Escape and the overall winner was Andrew McLaughlin for his story A Found Object.  The stories I heard read were very classy and I was struck by some beautiful descriptive passages.

 

Commended in the poetry section were Noel King's 20 Park Lane Mews, Orla Donoghue's Twenty Minutes on a Luas, Kenneth Nolan's A Brown Pigeon, Susan Flynn's The Amoeba, Aine Lyons' Nora Barnacle's Wedding, AM Cousins' First Exit After Finglas, Clare O'Reilly's First Friday, Denise Ryan's Inside the Charity Shop and my own After M.C. Escher's Hands Drawing Hands.  In joint 3rd place were Elizabeth O'Carroll's  After Child in the Yard - Luis le Broquey and Frank Murphy's The Deep.  Second place went to Journey by John Power.  The over all winner was Clare O'Reilly, who also had a poem commneded, for her poem Salvation. 

I spoke to one member of the Virginia House Creative Writers' Group who told me that the group is named after Virginia Woolf.  They meet every Friday.  You can find out more about the literary scene in Saggart and Tallaght here http://www.ruared.ie/virginia.html

It's Sylvia Plath's birthday today.

 

 

The Stony Thursday Book Launch 2013

 

 

It was well worth the drive to Limerick and back again for the launch of the wonderful Stony Thursday Book, edited this year by Paddy Bushe.  http://dedaluspress.com/sp/directory/details/paddy-bushe

 

I received two contributor's copies of the book and I read my poem Into the Night in the Belltable Arts Centre.  Thanks to Limerick City and County Council Arts Office and to Lizanne Jackman, co-ordinator and to everyone involved in the book's production. The cover art is by Catriona O'Connor.

 

Brian Kirk was there and he read his sestina The Poet's Work.  Honor Duff read her poem The Lure. I also met Susan Kelly who read her poem Skinny Jeans. She has been short listed for this year's Over the Edge New Writer of the Year Competition.  Carmel Cummins read her poem Deargadaol.  It was a thrill to see Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin there and she read her poem I Used to Think... Louis Mulcahy entertained all with The Night She Made Me Eat Her Words. 

 

The Editor spoke of his difficulty in choosing poems for the journal, over five hundred poets submitted work this year.  It was fantastic to hear the poets, who travelled from all over the country, reading their work.