Thursday, March 1, 2018

KERRY DONOGHUE



KERRY DONOGHUE
THE BLUE BEFORE THE DARKNESS

There’s a time in winter, just before dark
When the sky turns a deep shade of blue
And it’s then, more than any other time,
That my thoughts return to you.

Perhaps it’s the sense of finality
As the bone-chilling cold sets in
Knowing that darkness waits in the wings
For its time, centre stage, to begin.

That blue shade signals the last gasps
Of life from an all-too-short day
And sharply reminds me how bereft I felt
On the day that you went away.

Our time together, too, was brief
The light began fading too soon
And I became enveloped in deepest blue
Knowing before long, you’d be gone.

With your departure came the inky black
In whose depths I shall remain
Until the time comes for it to exit, stage left
Letting light shine, unhindered, again.
Copyright © Kerry Donoghue 2018






ODE TO A FELLOW COMMUTER

You were noticeable because you were so unremarkable,
If that makes sense; though I know it doesn’t.
It was a contrived, studied blandness
Like you had to make a concerted effort , just to be ordinary.
Five days a week, every week, without fail
You boarded the train carrying the same leather briefcase
And the wooden-handled umbrella, even in the height of summer
I guess you just never know when it might rain on you, do you?
Sensible haircut, co-ordinating shirts and ties but nothing outlandish
You didn’t want to look flashy; just smart.
We shared the same tube train carriage every day
for the four stops between where you got on and where I got off
But you never once showed any sign of recognition
You carried a newspaper but it lay untouched on your lap
Im sure you must have had a phone; everyone does these days
But you never looked at it and it never rang.
You simply sat, staring into space, features arranged in a neutral expression.
Did they teach you that at school, I wonder?
I began to invent a life for you outside of the tube train
A neat bachelor pad with lots of chrome and black leather
A game of squash on Tuesdays with Nigel
A cleaning lady, to keep the place tidy and iron your shirts
Maybe she even chose the shirt and tie combos for you.
But there had to be more to you than that,
The studied blandness had to be a cover for something
A dark fetish?
A secret superhero?
A psychotic alter ego?
I almost asked you, once, in a second of insane boldness.
But I couldn’t make the words come out.
Soon after that you stopped taking that train.
Did you move away?
Did something awful happen?
Were you caught out in your dark pastime?
I guess I’ll never know.
But wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing,
I hope you’re okay.
I miss you.
Copyright © Kerry Donoghue 2018





RESTLESS

There are times when I feel so restless
I could crawl right out of my skin
Like a snake, just shed my outward casing
And reveal what has long lain within

Cos I feel like my restlessness stems
From a sense of being confined
In a body that cannot give life to
The limitless dreams in my mind.

If I could cast off the sensitive skin cells
And the fragile muscles and bones
My heart and my soul would be free to explore
All the worlds in which my mind roams

I could soar way up high like an eagle
I could rule the depths like a shark
I could hang with Cleopatra in ancient Egypt
And sail with Noah on the ark

Past and future would lose all meaning
I could transcend all time and space
To get to wherever my restless being
Could temporarily find its place.
Copyright © Kerry Donoghue 2018





MEN, FROM A WOMAN’S PERSPECTIVE

So I’ve written about women,
Fairly easy, cos I am one
But I don’t want the guys to feel left out
So I’m gonna have a go at
Putting myself in your boat
I may be off the mark, but hear me out.

You see when I was a kid
With silly notions in my head
I saw guys as something I should fear
I was always shy and awkward
Never putting myself forward
Rejection wasn’t something I could bear

I thought  guys were worry-free
Breezing through life, unlike me
Whose mood was always cast in shades of blue
But in my self—obsessing gloom
I failed to read the room
I didn’t notice they were struggling too.

It was only as I got older
And very slightly bolder
That I dared to have some honest conversations
With those guys who’d seemed so lucky
Men, from a woman’s perspective (cont’d)

And that was when it struck me
That guys, too, have their own preoccupations

Maybe not the same woes as us
But every bit as serious
And maybe even worse cos “boys don’t cry”
No matter how it hurt them
They’d be told “Be a man, son”
And keep your sadness bottled up inside.

Guys are expected to be tough
And stay strong when things get rough
Though it shouldn’t be, it’s still a common theory
But that Y chromosome
Doesn’t make you all Stallone
And thank goodness, for sameness is so dreary!

So fellas don’t feel bad
If you don’t look just like Brad
Or have Hawking’s brain or Richard Branson’s money
If you’re kind and true and honest
I can absolutely promise
That if you want to, you can find your perfect Honey.
Copyright © Kerry Donoghue 2018

KERRY DONOGHUE

KERRY DONOGHUE: Kerry lives in Glasgow, Scotland where she has worked as a commercial lawyer since 1998. She has been creating poetry for decades but has only recently begun to commit it to print. She is an only child and an extreme introvert with a fondness for good wine and scented candles. Her favourite poets are Robert Burns and Alan Ross.




7 comments :

  1. For more of Kerry’s poetry visit her website www.teart.online or her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/teartofglace/ .

    Please like and share! ��

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  2. Hey Kerry I AM LOVING YOUR POETRY... BRAVO TO YOU

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you so much, Debbie! I love your poetry, too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very thoughtful and beautifully composed poems.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for your lovely comment.

      Delete
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