St Colman’s Claremorris

Art by Mark Conlan https://jamartprints.com/artist/mark-conlan/

 

into the storm

as you cross the white line
onto the warfield where you
shed blood sweat and tears
with the brothers you grew
up with,
the pride that burst
out of your jersey.
there’s nothing
quite as magical as your club.
the dispute you have with your
rival team.
there’s nothing quite
as special as beating them.

 

Stay Strong

Hold on to the hurt feeling
The limit is the celling
You have to dig in deep to get the big prize
Life is full of highs and lows
Life could blow you over the edge
You have to stay strong like a hedge
Only you can achieve your dream
Keep life flowing like a stream.

 

My Uncle’s Watch

Fading, peachy face,
Black affronting numbers
Standing in a circle
Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Cupid’s arrow
Clicking incessantly
Pointing decisively,
Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Tarnished, burnt straps,
Clinging by threads,
Holding on to the
Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Sluggish, tired hands,
Wanting a break,
Never getting one,
Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Glow in the dark,
Waterproof,
Never enough to replace –
Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Continuous,
Constant,
Suddenly stopping,
Tick-

 

Monsters

I hear the monster in my head
I hear it under my bed
I hear the tapping on the window
I hear the crunching of my pillow
I hear a monster in the hall
I see it running up the wall
I hear the creaking of my closet
And I hear the dripping of the faucet
I hear a little creek
But I really need to sleep.

 

The Beautiful Game

It starts off slow but begins to grow
like a storm of thundering snow
Last minute winners and mistaken sinners
The sound of the crowd’s roaring cheers
and the glorious sight of opposition tears
To succeed on this quest
You must die for the crest
This proves that football simply is the best.

 

Pre-Match

I sit in this dressing room
Staring at my club crest
Readying myself for the biggest game of my life
I think of every man woman and child watching us
That believes in the blue and white
As the manger says he’s last few words
We stand shoulder to shoulder in a circle
As our captain leads us out
The roar of the crowd is sensational
We brace ourselves for battle
The world catches fire.

 

A Change

You and me
Our friendship must end
So I must spend
Time alone
Sad to the bone
Now I am on my own
And I am changing my voice.
I’ll miss my friend.

 

I Love My Club

From November in the gym
To those dark cold January nights
Doing goal to goal runs
To those hot July afternoons getting post-match sun burn
To those county finals played under lights
And the relief after the final whistle is blown
To those ol’ lads behind the wall
I love my club.

 

Tennis

I like playing tennis
The quick balls running along the court
It is my favourite sport.
I like when I am tired
With all my muscles in fire
I keep running
Not for nothing
And at the end I realize
That I have win the prize.

 

The Farm

Cows come in, cows go out
That’s the way we work
Clusters go on, clusters come off
That’s just the way they work
Tractors go in, tractors come out
That’s the way they work
Milk goes in, milk goes out
That’s just the way it works
Grass grows, milk goes
That’s the way it works.
This is a typical day on the farm
And these are just some of the perks.