The Auld Bog Ways

The Auld Bog Ways

© Chris Barry

Workers bosom round a wafting bog-fire
As mid-summer’s heat brings rest to the tire
Banqueting in soda bread and freshly boiled cod
Cuisined in a Billycan o’re a smothering turf-sod

Futting and reeking an inherited feat
With corncrakes and falcons swooping the peat
Reeks created in a ritual articulate flow
As turf scent wafts in a mild breezily blow

At sunset the workers have a homeward start
Parading prize bounty in a capped creel-cart
Another turf-sod embellishes the hearth
As history is revisited in the turf-kindled warmth

Families nestle round repairing the trawl
A newborn swaddled in a turf-scented shawl
Tales of folklore revisited with delight.
While nocturnal images shadow the night

Spirits prowl heather-blanketed swards
As weary donkeys rest in barnyards
Guided by pathways of moonlit bog-cotton glow
Nocturnal creatures quietly forage to and fro

Showers foreseen by the swallow’s bend
Reminisce of reeks by a cottage gable-end
Time bequeath those memorable days
Gone are the donkey, the slaen and the auld bog ways.

Seasons Awake by Chris Barry

Seasons Awake

© Chris Barry


Spring brings April sunshine showers
Bouncing lambs and budding flowers
Gorse and sprouting headland groves
Primrose blossoms and furrowed troves

Summer buds the fragrant rose
Gracing havens where kinships muse
Meadows and headlands bouquets of joys
Dawnchorus, crimson twilights and laden hoys

Autumn hails the humble haze
Rustic golden leaves amaze
Gathering fruit from brambled crests
Harvest bless the homestead fests

Winter sets the countryside aglow
Mountains curvaceously topped with snow
Naked boughs chilled with icy grips
Christmas fests the Christ born scripts

Salutations of a Bridal Bouquet

Salutations of a Bridal Bouquet

© Chris Barry

Dressed in lacey ivory satin
She embellishes a Chapel aisle
Her bouquet reveals her angelic tranquility
As it symbolises her salutations of Life

White roses express her blossoming from girlhood
While daffodils reveal, with you by my side I shall cope
A single azalea dignifies her qualities of womanhood
As snowdrops relate her renewal message of hope

While woodland bluebells hail her humility
Ten red carnations declare, my heart betroths thee
Just as a dozen daisies reflect her innocence and purity
Tender primroses enounce, without thee I can't survive

Twelve red rosebuds personify her mindfulness of loving
While a fragile honeysuckle graces her humanity
Ten forget-me-nots kindle unconditional cherishing
As embracing ferns communicate her sincerity

Their presence illuminates the moment
As the Groom unveils his Bride
Behold, their future reposes before them
The words “I do,” embody the moment as two souls unit

END

Guidelines for Living a Productive Life

Guidelines for Living a Productive Life

© Chris Barry

Everyone should fall in love at least once in their lifetime for it’s the nearest thing to the mystic magic of the wonders of Life.
When you lose…don’t lose life’s lesson.
Not getting what you want is sometimes a blessing. Often you have to lose to win!
Remember the three basic R’s of living…Respect yourself. Respect others. Responsibility for your actions.
Never lose a great friendship because of an argument.
Discover the contentment in aloneness.
Accept that change happens but never give up your morals and values.
Discover the peace and tranquillity there is to be found in mindfulness.
Live a happy and productive life so in your golden years you can reminisce and relive the memories.

END

The Boys of Barr-na-Sraide

The Boys of Barr-na-Sraide

by Sigerson Clifford.

Oh the town it climbs the mountain and looks upon the sea
At sleeping time or waking time, it's there I'd like to be
To walk again those kindly streets, the place where life began
With those boys of Barr na Sraide who hunted for the wren

With cudgels stout they roamed about to hunt for the dreolin
We searched for birds from every furze from Litir to Dooneen
We danced for joy beneath the sky life held no print or plan
When the boys of Barr na Sraide went hunting for the wren

And when the hills were bleeding and the rifles were aflame
To the rebel hills of Kerry the Saxon strangers came
But the men who dared the Auxies and who fought the Black and Tan
Were those boys of Barr na Sraide who hunted for the wren

But now they toil in foreign soil where they have made their way
Deep in the heart of London town or over in Broadway
And I am left to sing their deeds and praise them while I can
Those boys of Barr na Sraide who hunted for the wren

And here's a health to them tonight wherever they may be
By the groves of Carhan river or the slopes of Bi na Ti
John Daly and Batt Andy and the Sheehans, Con and Dan
And the boys of Barr na Sraide who hunted for the wren

When the wheel of life runs out and peace comes over me
Just take me back to that old town between the hills and sea
I'll take my rest in those green fields, the place where life began
With those boys of Barr na Sraide who hunted for the wren


END

Life’s Ten Commandments

Life’s Ten Commandments

© Chris Barry

Thou shall not despair. Despair is wasted energy.
Thou shall not indulge in fear. Fear is an illusion of a frightened mind.
Thou shall not dwell in the past for the past is forever gone. The here and now is all-important.
Thou shall face Life’s problems with a step-by-step process. This is the most effect way.
Thou shall not indulge yourself in self-pity. It will eat through the core of your Spirit.
Thou shall not burden yourself down with unmindful people’s problems. They only want you to shoulder them along the pathway of Life for them.
Thou shall be mindful of your life and your blessings.
Thou shall be a good listener. It is in listening we learn from the wisdom of others.
Thou shall remember that ninety-percent of the baggage we carry around with us is of other people’s makings. Release yourself from that baggage and feel the sensation of relief and freedom.
Thou shall not envy the lives of others. You and you alone hold the key and lock to your own happiness.

Reflect for a moment

From our greed and desires come worries.
From worry comes fear.
So if we could allow ourselves to offload our greed and desires…
There’d be no more fear or worry!