The tunnel

 The tunnel’s just lengthened. 

The tunnel’s just lengthened 

Just as we thought 

We were reaching the surface

And feeling the heat

From the light that was shining

Far off in that night

So near yet so far

Within touching but no

Another month beckons

Then another to go. 

It’s all been so slow 

Like a slow motion movie

Like a guest who won’t leave

Deaf to our words

And blind to our feelings

Staying on in the hall

With the front door wide open

Unwilling, unable to make a departure

Just one tale more

Just one funny joke

Not easy to smile

When all you want now

Is the house back in order

And time to yourself. 

Dalkey Island

 Dalkey Island

Dalkey Island lies peacefully 

Moored in the light blue sea

Sitting beneath a light blue sky

On a Monday morning in January. 

Killiney Bay reflects a sun

That rises higher as the month ends

The commuter train empty of people

Trundles faithfully along the ancient tracks. 

A certain schedule in uncertain times

A comforting noise in uneasy days

A dog is barking from a wealthy home

Not all our pleasures are forgone. 

The snow gleams brightly on the hills

Of Dublin and beyond to Wicklow 

Bray Head cliffs look dark and cold

Showing the way to Greystones. 

The Bay lies sheltered from the winds but

The clouds have brought a sudden chill

It’s time to leave this seat above the Bay

And head to Dalkey for a takeaway. 

Diamonds

 Diamonds

To look at a woman without lust

To admire a house without owning it

To take joy in the achievements of others 

To celebrate the world and all thats within it. 

When we have passed far into the stars

We are dust and all that remains

Is the good we have done 

Only truth and beauty remain. 

The riches that never will lose 

Their shine or their worth over time

Like diamonds except even brighter

Tougher and harder and longer. 

Shanganagh Cemetery

 Shanganagh Cemetery

The cross marks the spot 

In the long winter shadow 

Where Kevin lies peacefully 

In Saint Helen’s plot. 

Above the wooden cross

Rise the Dublin hills

Crowned by the Lead Mines

Where once we walked

Thursdays on a rusticatio*

From the seminary

Fifty years ago 

And more recently 

With Bernie and Laura

Noah too with

Baby steps that

Lengthen every day. 

Gone but not forgotten

We will return to where

The sea embraces

Dublin and Wicklow. 

Kevin remains and stays

As clear as day

Looking forward to 

Mary’s month of May

When flowers return

And the meadow 

Hums with life

Hope and belief. 

*refers to a day of leisure for the Legion of Christ Novices who were allowed a day’s walking in the Dublin foothills from their home on Leopardstown Road armed with sandwiches.

Dún Laoghaire Pier January 9th

 Dun Laoghaire Pier  January 9th. 

The sun is setting behind the hills 

We proudly call our mountains 

The sky is lit with a golden glow

As along the pier we come and go 

The Borough’s spires stand proud

Above grey homes and offices. 

Handsome granite pier from Dalkey 

Hewn from an ancient quarry

The icy harbor lies empty 

Of boats tied up in moorings. 

The winter wind whips little waves

Upon a sheet of steely grey. 

The healthy walkers dressed in hats

And scarves and gloves defeat the cold

Bear witness to a spirit 

Born two centuries ago

They breathe the air and fill their lungs 

Before returning to their homes. 

Where Christmas lights still twinkle 

In defiance of prevailing gloom

In answer to the gauntlet 

Thrown down by nasty Covid

We shall stride and overcome 

This brand New Year we’ll call our own. 

We’re at the peak of daily cases -

That’s our fervent hope 

While fallen records lay sadly broken

With every passing day we mourn 

The loss of family, friends and more

And wonder when this will be over. 

We reach end of pier and pause a while 

To admire the view of sea and sky

That stretches all the way to Howth

Where we’ll get to visit somehow. 

When tiers are lowered and once again

We travel where our whim will take us. 

For now it’s back to comfy houses

Once inside we’re turning on

The heating regardless of the cost

We’ll have every radiator 

As hot as in a foundry

We feel right now as if we’re worth it. 

And even if we’re not. 

A man who saw no evil

 A man who saw no evil

There was a man who saw no evil

In any soul he ever met 

His life seemed simple as he toured

The corner shops of Ireland. 

Selling tea and Brooke Bond Oxo

But more than that he brought a smile

To grocers who took him to their hearts

And made him stop and chat awhile. 

Six thirty a.m on the first day of the year

God has called Kevin our brother home

His faithful servant has tacked back alone

Has left his station in the battle 

Returning softly from the land of pain

Back to the arms of his Lord and Savior

While on the world sleeps unaware

Of a pilgrim presence no longer there. 

He soldiered longtime in the trenches

And served his term with great distinction

While following God back in the Legion

The goodness that he showed back then

Outlasts the years and shines right now

It’s the chuckle and the laugh somehow

That lightened life and made us able

Find peace at times with life unstable. 

Kevin was ever just the man you met 

Who never changed down through the years

A family man who loved his garden

Who adored his wife and loving daughter 

They held his hand when winter’s light

Grew faint and distant in the kitchen window

And so he slipped into the silence

Of a brand New Year to meet his Maker. 

He leaves behind his fondest loves

But leaving too some special memories

Which are a blessing in his absence 

Which will support us and sustain us

Beyond this plague and time of crisis 

When once again we come together 

In his back garden and drink that tea 

To toast our friendship and his legacy. 

Kevin Smyth. RIP 1/1/2021