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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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RICHARD HALPERIN

Richard W. Halperin (b.1943, Irish/US dual national, Paris resident) began sending out poems in 2005. Over 200 poems have been accepted for publication, mainly in Ireland, and the UK. In Summer 2009 he was The Stinging Fly's featured poet. His poems appear frequently in The SHOp (currently No. 38), Cyphers (currently No.73), The Poetry Bus (currently No.3), and Revival Literary Journal (forthcoming summer issue No.23). His first collection, Anniversary, 2010, carries an appreciation by Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin. A Japanese translation Anniversary, 2012, is published by Kindai Bungeisha Press, Tokyo. Mr Halperin reads frequently in Ireland, venues including the Irish Writers' Centre, Ó Bhéal , festivals (West Cork Literary, Goldsmith, Hopkins), 7 Towers, On the Nail, White House Poets, Over the Edge, Dundalk Writers' Circle, and Glenstal Abbey.

Headlights

I saw a poet in Dublin read a poem

About a night drive north

During the Troubles, the driver

Driving and a passenger bleeding

From a wound, and all I remember

Of the poem is headlights,

Headlights coming at the driver,

His own headlights streaming

At the other cars, and all was cars

Which no one could see the insides of,

Bleeding passengers or bibles or

Pornography or plastic flowers,

And I was back in the radio days

Of my youth when there’d be

Voices of beloved radio-show actors

And one thought one knew

The looks of the actors, until the

The shock of seeing them later in

A film or on the telly, and why

Do radios talk as if no one

Ever has a face? and why do

Stars stream down and we can’t

Guess what’s behind them? and 

All I remember these years later is

A poet who knew a poet’s job –

The blind human soul – and there’s

No telly for that, and so he used what was

To hand to make his psalm or poem.

©2012 Richard Halperin

Author Links

Richard Halperin's page at Salmon Poetry

Reading by Halperin at O'Bheal (mp3--scroll down to 23 May 2011)

Halperin poem which placed 3rd in Cardiff Poetry Competition 2011

Richard W. Halperin interviewed by Eamonn Lynskey for 'Behind the Lines' (Liffey Sound FM)