Death

His face was calm wrinkles gone
in that state of gentle death
he was relieved now of suffering
half way to heaven he looked
so young younger than seventy
I closed his eyes for the last time
thought I saw him dreaming now
saying goodbye to that body that
held his soul for all those years
now he was lightness pure free
but still warm to the touch
I washed his body head to foot
Dressed him in his wedding suit
Prepared him for the wake so they
could come and admire his death
his face free of all those wrinkles
he said he would return in the ray
of the sun just to remind me of him
he died at quitting time five pm

Emergency

They come in on stretchers
gasping for one more breath
alone they suffer silently
as nurses and doctor work
poke prod inject inspect
it is all in a days work
some live some die others
linger on and on forever
there is no soft music or
dim lights in this place
only starkness business
forms to be filled out
no comfort no lavender
no gentleness here at all
no facts and figures now
life and death no compassion

Suicide in Belfast

Ciara Doherty aged eleven
Martin Rooney aged thirteen
committed suicide in Belfast
on a wet cold Friday evening
news said they were not related
two sweet young people alive
one minute and dead the next
their parents frantic screams
could be heard down the street
watch you children people listen
to them and invade their space
get them riled up to vent rage
if rage in them to express now
love them to life but not death
UTV covered the news from there
The priest said Ciara had a fit
a hissy fit as young girls do
her mother did not believe that
she meant to kill herself then

Loss of Vision

In the car driving home the cloud
of blackness descended suddenly
Like bad weather coming in strange
This cloud was only in my space
It has remained there hanging in
Now I cannot see anymore anything
Dread fear prayer willing power
can it be lifted I read one eyed
articles see the young busy doctor
he orders blood work cat scans and
appears indifferent to my dilemma
I take aspirin Q 10 garlic water
the words read non arteritic
ischemic optic neuropathy means
the cable from my eye to brain
is not working blocked this cloud
has stopped the light getting in
Oh my dear left sided feminine
wake up and see the world now
see only the beauty of decay
disorder and lack of compassion
Go into to heart place and sing

Blind

I am blind in one eye scared
stumbling around my kitchen
waiting in vain for results
typing one eyed now missing
letters not seeing properly

Fandangle

Fandangle dance men and woman with castanets
Dance the dance of life together crashing
up against the other's reality real time
to celebrate the diversity of each being
man and woman the two realities on earth
the eye of the needle the I of the I us
sweet jesyus teach us the dance fandangle
remind us of the holy separateness two
in one and one in two and more to come
the you in me and the me in you
dance fandangle nothing else matters
this groove is the groove of life
and mother earth is sad her children
are losing the rhythm beat of love

McGurk Pub Bombing Belfast

I was a young nurse in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast in the early seventies. On this cold December evening a bomb exploded in the pub killing fifteen people including Mrs. McGurk and her daughter Maria. I heard about the bombing that evening as news travels fast around Belfast. The next morning I turn up for my duties and I had Mr.McGurk in a wheelchair and his little son was brought in,so they could be together. Mr.McGurk was in deep deep shock and he spoke about the pain of his daughter's death. I was so distraught myself that I went to matron and I ask to resign because I could not comfort this lovely man and his son. I went to matron and I told her I could no longer do this job as I had no training to work in war.I had no words of comfort.This bombing touched my heart. I said to matron I have no words to comfort this family. I fled to New York and I witnessed the Vietnam Vets coming home. I was offered political asylum in New York after being introduced to the Kerrymen's Association.They took to me to see a judge but I declined the offer and I returned to the north to work with the children.I worked in a children's home and went on to study and do crisis intervention work for children at risk. I immigrated to Canada in 1980 and I returned to walk a pilgrimage of Peace in 1990.I walked two hundred miles around the north. I had a small napsack and ten dollars in my pocket. I walked a prayed for twenty one days and during my walk Sister Catherine Dunne and three police officers were blown up. She woke me out of sleep and asked me to send healers she said the people had forgotten who they were and then she took me to a swamp and people were falling into it and falling for help.
I was so sick when I returned to Canada I lay in bed for three months. I have said so many prayers for peace. It was Mr. McGurk's graciousness that changed my life. He was so dignified. I pray that the ears that need to hear your hearts be open and more so their hearts.
To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die. I was twenty years old then.
For the last twenty years and for the rest of my life I provide love and care for my head injured husband,his grandparents are from Donegal. We have a small orchard on Denman Island on the west coast of Canada. I honor all the relations of the McGurk Family and will never forget that time of great sorrow. Thank you for listening
In Peace
sheila simpson

Ruth Horwood

Ruth died in a hospital called Grace
They killed her with some bad drug

Denman Community

Surrounded by water we are afloat in time
our essence becoming one with water drops
when we get on that expensive BC ferry
and cross Baynes Sound we are islanders

Denman Islanders to the world out there
We are defined by water and the tides
Denman cave dwellers like winter bears
by nature strong and all introspective

Its risky living on an gulf island now
as we go through the eye of the needle
never knowing what tomorrow brings as
our world is hurtling toward the cliff

The past is always with us past mistakes
This island was stripped of cedar trees
Taken without thought of the spirit here
Taken in trucks we witnessed this horror

We have not forgotten or forgiven the time
The spirit of the forest remains with us
Collectively we failed to save any of them
As egos of the day stifled our resistance

Kundaline Yoga

I took the class with vigor
breathed fire into belly
move the energy up spine
felt the kundaline surge
wow that is something

Kundaline

Go Out At Night

The stars are twinkling had I not seen them
I would never had noticed that they twinkle
I remember the little song about them sung
Twinkle twinkle little star who I wonder
Who I wonder are you someone new in the sky
They say the dead are always with us look up
Yes the dead are there in the sky looking
but we rarely look up to acknowledge them
brilliant bright and glowing in the night
go outside will you go and look for them
your relatives uncles aunties your family
we are star dust you and I how wonderful
we get to live here in the light and then
we get to be stars at night in the sky
how brilliant is that now I ask you

The People Have Become Asexual

Feminism was never about the liberation of woman
Feminism was really about the death of the dance
The sacred dance of life between the man and her
Now the women dance for each other the death dance
Men stand terrified watching these strange rituals
Wonder what happened to turn these woman far away
Feminism forgot flirtation fondling feeling up

I feel for the men in room full of neurotic women
Dancing around mirroring each other alone lonely

Where do they go when they go home alone and lonely

Midnight

In our village the clock struck twelve
but nobody hugged except safe friends
How sad to feel the loss of big love
Caught in our own bubbles of pain
Happy new year we did not sing auld
lang sang the forgiveness song
for the new year we will all join
cross hands first and then join
the blessing song from old world
the song that says we will renew
the vow to forgive and forget
for the new year is a new beginning

Forgive Forget

Forgive yourself first
Forget the past now
Forget the reason
In the moment you
Walked the plank
Struck the sword
You were acting
From that small place
You forgot yourself
Its all about letting go

The Turn of The Tide

Will this year bring balance love and harmony
Can we find a new beginning to reclaim selves
This bubble we have created is but an illusion
There is no you no me no us and no them them
Men woman children ages color creed or nation
There is only the story we were never told
There is no life no death no beginning or end
There is only the now and the now is forever
What happened to love forgiveness and peace
There is no right no wrong no moral no ethic
There is only love and love is all there is
There is only the moment it which to be perfect