Crisis

The sun beams down

On this crossroads

Where I stand indecisive

Do I continue straight a head

Do I take a right turn

Ignore the left

I see the positives

I see the negatives

I feel gratitude for the gift

Of choice.

April 2024

Strolling Dublins O’Connell Street

On a sunny April Saturday morning

Observing the colourful clothes

The bags

The shoes

A beret

A t-shirt

Glitter like diamonds in the sun

Protesters on their way to a march

Carry flags that flap in the breeze

A flag touches my shoulder

As if to say hello.

A Spider

I like many do not have a good

Relationship with spiders

Or indeed any kind of creepy crawlies

I pretend to be brave when other adults

Are around

On my own

I let out a howling scream

Which I am sure frightens the spider

As well as defening my neighbours

Picking the spider out of the bath

I drown him or her in the toilet

Never giving thought to their family

Or animal lovers thinking I am a murderer

I simply panic

When we were young my brothers bedroom

Was dusty

He told our niece that Fred the spider lived

Underneath his bed

She didn’t try to confiscate his childhood

Board games

For fear of encountering Fred

She tried to send me underneath this bed

Without any success.

Health Care – Show Them You Care

After a long queue

I reached the cubicle

Heart thundering

Sweaty hands

Full of nervous chatter

The young man listened

Prepared my arm for the Covid vaccination

Health Care – Show Them You Care

I thanked this angel and told him

What a great job he and his colleagues

Were doing

I took home his dazzling smile.