Pilgrim Verses

 Author’s Note ‘Pilgrim Verses’. 

I began writing poetry a decade ago as a coping mechanism to deal with the anxieties that arose when I became increasingly free of the burdens of office life.  

Four decades of discipline engendered by almost a decade of seminarian life and three decades of long-houred professional life had suppressed cosmic curiosity. The result is a ‘cri de coeur’ as words and images burst to the surface. 

While there are constant themes - the joys of nature and a simple life, questions about G/god and a next life there is very little attempt to manage these unruly reflections which were born from yearning, frustration and pure joy too. 

This impulse to publish the verses came from two sources - on one hand the wish to leave a testimony (hopefully there is a poem or a line that may speak to you too) and the other to raise money for a charity that is very close to my heart called Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) which runs weekend experiential workshops mostly in Irish prisons. Although inspired by Quakers it is non denominational and open to all. 

While many of the verses express despair about climate change nevertheless I believe the greatest virtue is HOPE (honestly!) and AVP embodies the hope and belief that we can all turn our lives around even if it be on our last day in a nursing home. The Gospel of the second and forty second chance may be the only Gospel worth following. 

And so it is appropriate that the beautiful design and calligraphy is produced by Vincent Daniau a talented artist who is married to Dorothée our tireless AVP Coordinator and volunteer. 

A big thank you to my wife Lorraine, to my children and friends for your constant love over many years which have helped me survive these highs and lows and for supporting me in expressing them. 

Padraic Murray. Summer 2019

‘Pilgrim Verses’ available on Amazon and Kindle.