Raftery’s Buttons
Pete Mullineaux
Raftery, blind poet and fiddler /
negotiating the rough back roads /
of Galway-Mayo, stumbling /
over fallen trees, circumnavigating /
lethal drains and ruts, raging /
against rivals, the status quo / ...
Category:Archives
A Piper Prepares
Pete Mullineaux
It’s almost like shooting up: a captivating ritual – /
the belt looped around the forearm; buckle /
notched, blowpipe joined to leather bag; a shard /
of cloth folded between elbow and rib for comfort – / ...
A Slow Start to the Set
Pete Mullineaux
All materials are alive – /
at least in the sense they /
have potential to make sound. / ...
Music of the Spheres
Pete Mullineaux
Hard to imagine a universe without sound – /
why else call it the Big Bang? /
From background noise to formal structure: /
Sibelius heard chords reverberating in a forest, / ...
Concertina
Pete Mullineaux
She shuffles it like a pack of cards, /
testing the silent breath in the pleats. /
With the air button pressed, fingers tease /
but the instrument stays mute – / ...
Requiem
Pete Mullineaux
The cows have gathered in an adjacent field, /
I can see their shapes in the moonlight – /
a meeting of the tribes, they are here in their multiplicity; / ...
Tonight’s the Night
Pete Mullineaux
I took Dad to see Neil Young; he wore his suit (Dad, that is – /
Neil Young wore a tie-dye shirt.) / ...
Last Imagining My Death Poem
Lynne Potts
I’m pretending I’m back under the fig tree like the one in Italy /
when I persuaded you to stop for a picnic of cheese, bread, / ...
Europa and the Bull
Lynne Potts
That day, the pique and gleam of it /
lyric and play, clouds bouncing, sea /
in rosies and dip at the shore’s lip /
when he came in his sleek quieting / ...
Self-Portrait with American Crows
Leslie Williams
Telling lies, wasting time, thinking /
no one else keeps promises /
as close as I— crows fly in / ...