Drawing by Judith Wolfe
Maurice Keady
Poems
EXIT
My hands will be cold,
still marked by the things I did.
Blood that once pulsed everything I was,
will stop and tum upon itself.
Belongings once mine,
become homeless,
a place of trespass,
and only those who loved me
will stand alone at the exit
and know I am over.
They will choose meaningful readings,
that someone thinks should fit,
and a priest will carefully say my name,
without mistake.
Until after the flowers and the cards
and the tea politely sipped
by distant relatives I hardly knew;
they will commence to bury
the conscious in unconsciousness
and I become an oldish day
when they all gathered on newly tumed earth.
RAIN SPELL
Just then it chose to rain.
It was the end of everything
The past had spoken to itself
and all that remained was commencement.
Seeping into the granite crevasses of the town
dripping from green leaves
unburdening the grey sky
down onto coloured umbrellas
and dashing men seeking shelter
In smoke and alcohol
words wrap up words
the dust of unused dictionaries dispersed
to settle in our wake
then out along wet pavement home
through the busy town
the tired town
where we cast our charm
to create a constant for our lives