Poetry
Where the veil wears thin.
Verse that captures both the sensory and the spiritual. From the landscape of Ireland to the internal weather of the soul, these poems offer a language for what is felt but not always spoken.
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Summer Was Our Standard Time
“Summer Was Our Standard Time”: a Common Metre reflection on the Standard Time Act, 1968. Continue reading
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October Bank Holiday
While Ireland rests, cold platforms and a four-hour chair quietly keep life moving forward. Continue reading
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Elevation
A dialysis-free day faded as low blood pressure left me exhausted and resting. Continue reading
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A Sanctuary in the Stillness: Walking the Triogue, Facing the Chair
From riverbank grace to the dialysis chair, a tiny goldcrest reveals God’s abiding, enduring love. Continue reading
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Before the Count
Transparency in church governance begins long before the count—with open invitations, clear paths, and informed choice. Continue reading
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Morning Walk
Under Orion’s silent watch, a morning commute becomes a quiet prayer between stars and station lights. Continue reading
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The Plush Commander
Sometimes guardians do more than stand watch. Lancelot—trusted plush sentinel of the night—usually keeps his post beside the bed, button eyes steady, seams holding quiet courage. But recently, he was promoted. From watchman to chess partner. There is something gently subversive about letting a soft toy be a strategist. About imagining stitched paws claiming knights… Continue reading
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Beyond Targets and Charts
A prayer and reflection for the Diocesan Synod during the vacancy in Meath and Kildare. Exploring pastoral leadership beyond charts and plans, rooted in Saint Brigid, Saint Ciarán, and the quiet beauty of the Irish Midlands. Continue reading
Belonging, Boyne and Barrow, Celtic Spirituality, Christian Poetry, Church of Ireland, Diocesan Synod, Episcopal Leadership, Irish Midlands, Liturgical Verse, Meath and Kildare, NeuroDivine, pastoral care, Pilgrim Way, Prayer for a Bishop, Radical Hospitality, Relational Ministry, Saint Brigid, Saint Ciarán, Soft Infrastructure, Vacancy -
I’d do me
Bare shoulders, a caught glance, and a sudden desire for the man in the mirror. Continue reading
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Stacking the Season: A Reflection on Preparing for Winter
Finding stillness in simple winter chores: turning stacked timber into a sanctuary of warmth and light. Continue reading
Autism, AutisticFaith, Celtic Christianity, Celtic Spirituality, Christianity, ContemplativePrayer, Faith, FaithInAction, FaithInTheEveryday, Irish Heritage, IrishReflection, Kildare, ModernMonasticism, NeuroDivine, OraEtLabora, Poetry, PoetryOfPlace, QuietMoments, RuleOfStBenedict, SmallMercies, Spirituality -
From Daylight to Frost
We bleached my hair a single time,And hoped the job was done;But yellow glowed so brightly still,I looked just like the sun.So bleach was spread a second time,To finish what we’d planned;And now I’m silver through and through,Not buttered, toasted, tanned! Continue reading
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The Swapped Bells
Dialysis ward faces confusion due to misdirected calls, affecting staff efficiency and patient assistance. Continue reading
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First of October
Midland streets, October chill, and expanding biceps: one man’s defiant journey through dialysis and grit. Continue reading
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The Divine in the Bramble
Taste autumn’s sweet grace and Saint Michael’s protection amidst Irish hills, brambles, and light. Continue reading
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Rust Remembers
“Look closer. I am made of gaps, Of spaces left unfilled; Like stories spoken half aloud, Like names no stone has held.” Continue reading
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At MacDonagh Junction
“Yet memory moves beneath the stones And through these busy halls.” Continue reading
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For the Friends of Stoney Royd Cemetery, Halifax
Prologue In the deep hush of winter, Halifax lies like a cloister.The stones hold their cold light;the paths keep their long silence.Nothing asks for attention.Nothing hurries.We come as keepers of quiet work—the clearing of a way,the steady placing of our steps,the simple tending of a placethat endures through every season.Around us, the creatures move in… Continue reading
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The Flowers Keep Also Their Watch
A quiet poem of flowers keeping vigil, offering courage, calm, and ancient healing in the dialysis room. Continue reading
