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Best of Irish Poetry 2010
Editor: Matthew Sweeney

Songs of Earth and Light
Barbara Korun poems translated by Theo Dorgan

Done Dating DJs
by Jennifer Minniti-Shippey
Winner, 2008 Fool for Poetry Competition

Richesses: Francophone Songwriter Poets
Edited and translated by Aidan Hayes

Munster Literature Centre

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PETER GOULDING

Primarily a humorous poet, Goulding won the Strokestown Political Satire competition in 2008 and the Baffle Bard in 2009. He has been published in Revival, Boyne Berries and other books, anthologies and publications. He co-edits a football poetry website and writes the arts pages and a Musings column for Dublin 15’s Community Voice newspaper, an anthology of the latter being published in 2009. He follows Shelbourne FC, blogs on lighthouses and his book of humorous verse, A Flash of Orange, came out in 2009. Despite this, he has no practical talents whatsoever.

Mick

With milking done

And the sweet warm liquid

Added to yesterday’s bread and peelings

To make swill for the sow,

The two cows would be slapped down the drive

And out onto the road,

Like two lazy sons being urged to find work.

Up the road or down, as they wished,

They ambled, with a calm, unhurried air,

Discussing the soft weather.

On occasions, as I came up from Two Mile Water

For a spot of lunch, I’d pass them,

Grinning in a ditch or in Delahunty’s yard

Or, worse case scenario, Jackie Hagen’s garden.

“Any sign of dem cows?” he’d grunt,

Spitting on the range and stirring his thick tay,

One ear cocked to the shenanigans on Harbour Hotel.

In late afternoon, bow-legged and unsteady,

He’d cycle out to put a halt to their mischief,

With a big, sturdy briar and a gruff “Yar!”

And lead them back up for the second milking.

The iron gate would clang shut

And he’d glance up and down warily,

Like a small country fearing unfriendly overtures.

One day visited an earnest man

With a clipboard and a pen

Who talked animatedly about something called

Health and Safety.

The oul’ lad nodded sagely

And spat on the ground amiably

And agreed completely

And asked him curiously

If his mother was a Doyle from Glenealy,

And helped him reverse back out the drive.

And life went on as before.

©2009 Peter Goulding

Author Links

'The Death of Eoin' on Football Poets.com

Community Voice Musings: Goulding's Blog

Purchase A Flash of Orange

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