Poems by W.B

Tomorrow in Ireland a referendum will be held on the Lisbon Treaty. I'll be voting yes. Fingers crossed it won't be "NO" to Lisbon again. It has been a really agressive campaign. Of course the Irish have a healthy mistrust of politicans and politics. Understandable really considering our history. (Also tomorrow, I'll apply for a green card for American. )

W.B Yeats was very involved in Irish Politics. A wonderful man with a great love for his country and its people. A little poem for you, to remind you of me while I'm away. My favourite by W.B Yeats. In honour of him, Eire and you.

HAD I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Sorry I feel guilty I didn't share this W.B. poem. When Anthony Hopkins recites this his favourite poem he mimics Yeats perfectly, and with a perfect Irish accent. (This poem makes Anthony Hopkins cry for Gods sake). That's how brilliant it is.

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I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:

Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,

Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;

There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,

And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,

I hear it in the deep heart's core.

Slan mo chairde, gra agus beannacht as Eire. Goodbye friends, love and blessings from Ireland.

Mr God

When I was younger I believed absolutely and without question in God. I even believed that God lived above us in the clouds. My God was a leaner, fitter version of Santa Claus. I believed I had a guardian angel, she had blond hair and wings. I believed that God had a son called Jesus who died for us. All this gave me comfort. It felt better if I wasn't the driver of my own destiny, safer if someone else had a plan for me. God forbid that it was all random and down to luck.

I'm almost afraid to say it. I fear tongue lashing and religious flogging. But the truth sets us free, so here goes. I probably don't believe in God. You'll notice I used the word 'probably'. Just in case, you know. Don't want to p**s anyone off unnecessarily. As I type these words I can physically feel the guilt rising good, strong, Irish, Catholic guilt. The same guilt ruined my adolescent sex life. You'll not have experienced it's power, it's not unlike the pull of a MAC counter.

Now relax don't panic. I'm not saying that I don't think there's something out there and that religion has an important role in society. I think we need rules to live our lives by. I hope there is something out there bigger and better than us. Without religion I fear we'd be in an even worse state than we already are. But I'm wary of organised religion and it's rules. I fear that sometimes it's used to control and manipulate.

For example:
In the Catholic faith women bleeding after child birth weren't allowed to attend mass. They were considered unclean. The woman had to be "churched" before she could attend mass. Imagine women who created life seen as being unclean. Only men who've never had sex would think up such a rule.

The Catholic faith doesn't allow priests to marry. No matter what arguments they throw at me I still can't help but think the reasons are economic. God forbid the priests children might get a slice of the church's considerable wealth. Have you seen the Sistine Chapel?

No contraceptive? Rubbish. Homosexuals go to hell? Rubbish. Sex is only for procreation? Rubbish. There's more, but I'll not bore you.

Stephen Dawkins was on the Late Late Show (an Irish chat show) and he said there's no God. I'm a big fan of his work. To my mind he a genius. So, when he says that there's more evidence for the Tooth Fairy than God, it makes me think. As a scientist I'll admit that the evidence for God isn't all that hot. I'd placed a lot of faith in the "Shroud of Turin" and look how that turned out.

Mary was a virgin? I don't think so. So what if she wasn't? I know many a good mother who enjoys sex. Heaven, Hell and the recently disposed of Limbo? I'm not sure. I can't believe that God is in the clouds and the devil below in flames with a tail. But maybe our bad deeds haunt us when we die?

But if you are out there Mr God I'd like to humbly offer you a few suggestions:
That homophobics come back as a homosexuals.
That the poor get a shot at wealth.
That the beautiful return as ugly.

Do you hear me Mr God ? Are you there?

Opening eyes in the dark.

"Dating in the dark" is one of those reality TV shows. Contestants meet possible dates in the dark and can only judge them by how they kiss, what they say, how they sound, and smell.

It caught my imagination. Imagine a world where you see no one. Where you're judged for what you think, do and say. I think that would be a cool experience. Just for a day. I bet our intuition would work better . I wonder would we get to know each other more. Maybe we'd listen more. However even in the dark I'm a woman and I'm Irish. Well at least I have the gift of the gab and I don't smell.

Perhaps the dark would open our eyes.

My slutty trust

My annus horribulus (horrible year) ended recently. A year of little good and huge growth. A vulgar, flood lit year it spat truth in my face at every turn. It revealed what I'd known and through vanity forgotten, that I'm just a small piece in a big jigsaw. One event in particular has shaken me more than the rest. The type of thing that stops you in your tracks. It says "Stop Right Now". It causes you to ask , have I been wrong all this time?

Trouble brings a mirror. Mine has revealed that I trust too much. I give my trust to people unquestioned. If they seem nice they are. There are benefits to my fatal flaw. I make friends easily, meet new interesting people (like you guys). I tell my story and so others reveal themselves to me. There is depth to my relationships. My willingness to give trust allows others to trust me. But there's a down side. I get hurt a lot. When I was younger I rationalised it, dusted myself off and hit the ground running. But as I get older I've grown softer.

Life isn't fair, the good don't always get what they deserve. As Leonard Cohen put it "Everybody knows the dice is loaded". This truth pushes me to empathy every time. So I question should trust be given or should it be earned?

Food Movies and Actors

I'm trying to construct a menu with a funny actor /movie theme.
Any ideas?
Kevin Bacon is an obvious choice.
Al's sagane.

Love and Marriage.

Marriage in Ireland is not in a good state. Since recession arrived marriages are falling apart. (Mine excluded, just in case you're worrying.)

Women who married wealthy men, can't seem to bear them now they're poor. Poverty you see just isn't sexy. These woman are the four by four, manicured, boob implant, coffee morning, Golf Club girls. They just feel the marriage isn't working for them anymore. Cos you know "they're worth it".

We on the other hand the educated, creative, hard working, not taking anyone for a ride women are apparently "not worth it". They think we're crazy, finding our own way, risking being alone, searching for love. These same women shame me when they stand near, with their manicured feet and hands, their perfect smiles, in the tiny, tiny designer dresses.

Beauty and money make the world go round. At least that's how it seems to me.

Romance

Romance is alive and kicking in Ireland and lives somewhere near me. Not with me.

Today I walked to Lough Ennell and sat in my usual spot, on a large shelve like rock, facing wild waters. It was then I notice an inscription carved in my rock (with his bare hands I'm imagining). The inscription read:

Marry me.

How cool is that?