Art by Gary Reddin https://jamartprints.com/artist/gary-reddin/
Something new
And seeing waves of passion rise
My whirlpool eyes caught in her tides
I found, that I could not, remember
I could not recall years gone by, I couldn’t say I yearned to die
It all, was gone, like an ember
And in the sun my shadow cried,
The boy I knew had surely died
It felt, like something new
Man-Up
The voices said
The words spin around my head
Ah don’t be so dry
As I wanted to cry
He passed the alcohol
My skin began to crawl
Nearly giving in
The thoughts of fitting in
Just wanting to fit in.
“One Day”
One day I’ll tell my kids about you,
How we fell in love
By saying “my kids” is bitter upon my tongue
Because it won’t be the story of how I met their father
They won’t be “our children”
2 kids we once said
The oldest must be called Michael
The youngest would be “our little princess”
Now I don’t think of having my own children
I jokingly say my dogs will be my kids
But if one day I do have kids
The eldest will still be called Michael
And the youngest will still be my little princess
But the last name on the birth certificate
Will always look just a little off.
16
The greatest years of your life
Who decided that
Years full of stress from school
People judging wether you’re cool
Best years of your life?
You must be a fool.
You see a confident intelligent young man,
I see a cocky scared sh@tless kid.
Space Man
To space we go though a black hole
to a new universe to explore a new galaxy
to find relays to go to new systems
and find new planets
and species that live on that planet
And learn the culture of there people
“Distant dad”
Sounds quite sad but it’s really that bad,
as it’s hard to be sad over something you never had.
Never a hug only a shrug
I still feel so misunderstood
as I never received your love.
I’m older now and still somehow nothing
not even “sorry”
I probably wouldn’t except it
but atleast I could say that even for a day
you did mean it or even seem it.
It’s weird for me that you fled
as if I was a burden you didn’t need.
Whilst you missed a lot no one filled your slot,
as that in itself would take a lot.
Always Know
“know you”
know your likes and your hates
even if hate is a strong term to use.
know your wants and goals
know the difference between knowing and hearing
know where you want your story to lead
and where you don’t want it to mislead
know a good decision to a bad
know what moments to be sad instead of mad.
cherish the small things, learn your mind and
how deep it can intertwine.
the teenage mind can be quite a confusing, messy and sometimes even scary place,
so as you grow through your highs and lows
understand you’ll fall
some of us maybe even more than others
try to be kind even when you’re
filled with hate
know the story before you judge.
but mostly importantly, before anyone
know you.
I try and try
To get the words down.
But I can’t think of anything and that causes me to frown.
I want to express everything I feel but I just can’t.
Im not profoundly happy nore sad just existing.
And what I’m writing now is truly just a rant
About how we are forced to do meneal meaningless tasks to stop us from resisting.
A way of life that’s just wakes us feel like we’re only existing.
It’s always so quiet
I often think
Why must I think
I’d rather feel
Because when I think
I fear
And the fear breaks me down
Down to my thoughts
I don’t like my thoughts
They make me fear
The fallen soldier
He went to war.
Feeling brave and fearless.
Sure he came back.
But what he went through.
He will never recover from it.
“Waiting”
Ive wrote many poems
mainly awaiting someone to be my own.
Someone I can bring home and no I don’t mean to my room,
someone who’ll get to know my mam
someone who wants to know all they can.
Who’ll go for late night walks just so we can talk,
someone who’ll fall in love with my eyes
someone who won’t lie who’ll buy me flowers
just because someone to stay who won’t go away.
Someone forever where our love won’t tether.
Someone to be my own
someone so I’m never alone.
Internal Hopes
I make a lot of promises
that i never tell or share
So that I won’t be shamed
By those that really care
When i don’t make a lick of difference
Or i never even try
Sure it was only a half baked wish
just a little lie.
This poem starts
Like a bullet,
Just like Chrissie’s long hairy mullet
Every meme these days include Eddie Hearn
So mystical and mysterious like Commando Byrne
No one has ever called me diller
No one can catch a ball like my friend killer
Some say he’s built like a door,
But I love my carnaross friend Oisin yore
An underrated baller is Samuel Eto
I had to finish this poem with the classic validaoo.
Simultaneously
All of a sudden
I was stuck between
Wanting to wait for you
And wanting to forget you.
I didn’t know which one was better
So somehow
I was doing both at the same time.
“You Never Loved Me”
You never loved me,
There’s no way you loved me and caused the pain
You’ve caused
You never cared,
Because of you did you wouldn’t have put me through hell,
You never wanted this,
You wouldn’t have gambled with us, if you truly wanted this,
I wouldn’t gone through hell and back for you,
I gave you everything and you took everything
I think that’s what hurts the most,
I would’ve done anything for you and you were just
Dealing with me, settling for me
I should’ve walked away a long time ago
But love made me stay,
Love made me fight for someone who never cared about me,
I guess loving without loving myself made me easy prey for,
Little boys like you.
All of a sudden
I was stuck between
Wanting to wait for you
And wanting to forget you.
I didn’t know which one was better
So somehow
I was doing both at the same time.
Waiting
I’ve wrote many poems mainly awaiting someone to be my own.
Someone I can bring home and no I don’t mean to my room,
Someone who’ll get to know my mam
Someone who wants to know all they can.
Who’ll go for late night walks just so we can talk,
Someone who’ll fall in love with my eyes someone who won’t lie
Who’ll buy me flowers just because
Someone to stay who won’t go away.
Someone forever where our love won’t tether.
Someone to be my own someone so I’m never alone.
Internal Hopes
I make a lot of promises
That I never tell or share
So that I won’t be shamed
By those that really care
When I don’t make a lick of difference
Or I never even try
Sure it was only a half-baked wish
Just a little lie.
I just want to live life
I want to be free,
Go to school, come back,
suddenly there is guys running round
with guns and machetes,
I want to hang with my friends,
not stay at home, bored out of my mind,
I want to go out and meet new people,
I feel like I’m stuck in a bind.
Struggling
‘Hurry up and get over it’
She’s told once again
‘Get into that car,
i don’t have time for this ‘
Eyes burning from crying
Face puffy from tears,
Smaller legs, smaller thighs,
All she’s wanted for years,
She walks in that school door,
she’s smiling, she’s laughing,
but behind that smile, that filter, that mask,
Is that young girl, struggling.
Teenage Boys
Teenage boys walk a path of their own,
One that’s not always easy to be shown.
They wear a mask, a front that’s so strong,
Hiding their heart, never letting it belong.
Afraid to be judged or misunderstood,
They keep their emotions hidden, like they should.
But the act gets old, and the heart starts to ache,
Longing to be heard, to be free from the fake.
Let’s create a world where they can truly be,
Where teenage boys can be seen and truly feel free.
Optimistic Outlook
School can be a chore,
A place we dread to explore.
But knowledge is the key,
To the future we want to see.
So let’s find a way,
To make it fun and play.
For learning is a gift,
That will give us a lift.
So let’s give it a try,
And let our minds fly.
For school is not so bad,
When we’re happy and glad.
The Navan Paradise
Where time flies
Everyone in Nike techs
What a bloody flex
Colombian pond weed is more than just a seed
In a place where how much you bleed is defined by your greed
In a place where failure to pay can leave you in a bag
Leaving tears on your mothers cheeks
All because of brand new Nike cleets
In a place where you can only survive when your at the top
And end up in an alley when you start to flop
In a place where law should be
People start to flee.
CHANGE
In this world there are 3 things everyone will experience
birth, death and pain,
if there is love pain follows soon after
to make world peace is to start wars and suffering,
where there is a victor there are certainly losers
and with every birth there is death.
There are those who must suffer to create happiness
for those who he may not like,
where there is wealth there are those who are less fortunate
who starve and suffer,
and despite all this it’s always the same never a glimmer of change.
Growing up is sad
As your childhood slips away
The world seems grey
The things you love bring no joy
And your no longer your mothers boy
Escape
I want to escape,
Be safe while walking,
Out of gangs and violence,
Drugs and theft,
To be able to be myself,
In school and outside,
I want to escape,
I want to escape.
Fading Dream
How did I go from the best to average.
Dreading training and low on confidence.
From near tears in the shower
And nights staring at the ceiling
Sitting on the bench as my friends do the club proud.
From making the county panel
And playing with a smile on my face,
To wondering what went wrong,
Losing an ever lasting chase.
The love I have for the sport may be fading,
But I am searching.
Football is more than a game.
“One day”
One day I’ll tell my kids about you,
How we fell inlove
By saying “my kids” is bitter upon my tongue
Because it won’t be the story of how I met their father
They won’t be “our children”
2 kids we once said
The oldest must be called Michael
The youngest would be “our little princess”
Now I don’t think of having my own children
I jokingly say my dogs will be my kids
But if one day I do have kids
The eldest will still be called Michael
And the youngest will still be my little princess
But the last name on the birth certificate
Will always look just a little off
Destiny
One shot
One future
Life dependant,
One chance
One desire
Life reliant,
One goal
One dream
Life complete.
Untitled
The round spherical ball
Soaring through the air,
The whistle from the wind
Bristling through the hairs.
The forward roaring out
Give me the ball,
And the punt through the sky
To strike the hands of Fall
The ball secured on the chest
And the feet crashing down
He shot for the point
And the town was proud.
The pitch
A battle grounds where we fight for every ball.
The defender trying to hammer you
and stop you from leading your team to victory.
The flood lights shining down lighting up the pitch.
ut when that ball comes to you,
you could be in kells or Croke park to you
it’s all the same
you just have to get that ball
over the bar.
Eight
At the age of eight ,
a man was at the gate
he told us we had to leave,
behind me my mother greived
i then went into the car
they told me we had to go far
they told me the family was nice
but i was given that advice twice
i arrived at the house
we sat there in silence
all i could think about was the violence
eight years later
my life is much greater.
Memory
Stuck in a place of confusion
The brave face was just an illusion
Behind the face was heartbreak
Seeing them makes your chest ache.
look up,
look down,
look all around,
every where you go he is there ,
he follows you everywhere,
he’s with ur soul ,
lee cattermole,
the end.
Pressure on pitch
Is a son of a witch
Judged on a bad play
Because your on an off day
Reputation ruined
Confidence lost
But at what cost