Whispers of Lough Swilly###################### — after A. M. Donaghey ############################################### A hush lies low where the herons wheel, Over Swilly's skin of polished steel— A lough that holds both sea and sigh, Where shadows drift and gulls go by. ################################################ Old turf smoke curls from hillside stone, Where sheep still graze and dreams are sown, And down the lanes, the foxglove leans To eavesdrop on the in-between. ################################################# The tide breathes slow on Buncrana's shore, Its secrets older than the war— When ships lay moored in quiet dread, And oaths were sworn and prayers were said. ################################################## Now silence tells what books forget, The salt of joy, the balm of regret. Each inlet, curve and fern-fringed quay Still murmurs songs the wind won’t free. ################################################### And oh, the dusk—when westward eyes See Inishowen in fading dyes— The purple hills, the golden air, And every stone a psalm, a prayer. ################################################### So let me lie where Swilly sings, Beyond the grief of smaller things. Let heather bloom above my rest, My heart turned seaward, home, and blessed.

Ramelton ############################## In the style of A. M. Donaghey ######################################################## The Lennon whispers under stone, Where salmon turn in silt and foam, And Ramelton dreams in Georgian grace— A harbour held in time’s embrace. ######################################################## Its gables lean with quiet pride, As if to nod at boats that glide, Or bless the feet on cobbled way That wear the dust of yesterday. ######################################################### One of many churches bell still rings Through Sundays soaked in psalm and spring, And chapel walls remember well The tales that older voices tell. ######################################################### The market square, the merchant’s quay, The ships that once sought open sea— Now children play where traders stood With butter, linen, flax, and wood. ######################################################## Beyond the bridge, the meadows lie, Their silence stitched with lark and sky, And hedgerows hum the songs of yore That keep the hearth of Ulster lore. ######################################################## So let the road bend where it will, Through wind-blown furze and granite hill— For here, where river meets the shore, Ramelton holds us evermore.

First draft, work in progress.########################### whisper of the dusk############################# In the quite hush of fading light, Where shadows stretch and lose their might, Wind whispers secrets new and old Of treasured stories spiced with gold.############################ Beneath the vast and velvet sky, Dreams drift so softly, wondering by, With echoes of distant ancient song, For lingering hearts that once belonged.############################# Time wears thin on edge of night, Moments flicker, with borrowed light, Yet in the stillness, something stirs, A gentle voice that softly blurs.################################# Hold to the whisper gone with the breeze, Find in your darkness a moments ease, For in the dusk’s embrace we see, The quiet and grace of eternity.

The Collar on the Hook (after A.M. Donaghey) ############################## The bowl is dry. No need to fill it now. Your name still echoes in the hallway when no one speaks. ################################### Rain fingers the sill like you once did — nose pressed, watching for my return as if I was all that mattered. I wasn't. But you let me believe I was. ################################# I keep the collar, clay red with a brass tag, hung on the hook beside the door. It doesn't jingle anymore. But sometimes, in the hush between things, I think I hear it — and I look up. ################################### The garden still grows. Daisies where you used to lie, ears twitching in sleep, the sun turning your fur to flame. Now only petals shift when the wind remembers. ################################### You went the way of breath, quiet and invisible. But the shape you left in this house refuses to go.

Whispers of the Dusk................. In the quiet hush of fading light, Where shadows stretch and lose their might, The wind whispers secrets old, Stories of silver and ash and gold................. Beneath the vast and velvet sky, Dreams drift softly, wandering by, Echoes of a distant song, Lingering where hearts belong....................... Time wears thin on the edge of night, Moments flicker, flickering bright, Yet in the stillness, something stirs— A gentle voice that softly blurs....................... Hold to the whisper, hold to the breeze, Find in the darkness your moment's ease, For in the dusk’s embrace we see— The quiet grace of eternity................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ Beneath the Northern Sky........................ The wind whispers softly through the ancient trees, Carrying tales from lands beyond the seas, A quiet song of time’s slow dance, A song of hope, of fate, of chance............................. The hills lie shadowed in the evening’s glow, Veiled in mist where memories flow, Silent watchers of the passing years, Guarding secrets, hopes, and tears.............................. In every breath, a story sleeps, In every dawn, a promise keeps, We walk these paths with gentle grace, Bound by the earth, held in its embrace............................... And when the night descends once more, And stars ignite the heavens’ door, We find our place within the sky— A fleeting spark that will not die.............................

Whispers in the Quiet................ In the hush of dawn’s soft glow, where shadows drift and fade, I hear the murmurs only silence knows— a secret serenade............... Beneath the weight of waking hours, beneath the sky’s expanding blue, lie stories spun from quiet powers— the old and the new................. A single leaf, a fleeting breeze, a memory’s gentle sway, remind me of the fleeting keys that lock the day.................... In every breath, a world anew, in every pause, a song— a whisper soft, yet true, where I belong..............

Donegal Morning.............. ############################################### The cliffs wake slow, their edges pressed against a sky wild with distant light— a hush you can taste in your mouth............. ################################################ Here, the wind isn’t an idea, it’s a half‑spoken prayer that scours your face, then tucks itself behind your ears............ ############################################### In the fields, the grass stands stiff like old soldiers at attention, while peat smoke drifts from cottages, smudging the air with memory........... ############################################## A single sheep silhouette stands on the slope— patient, timeless, a witness to centuries in its wool........... ################################################# You dip your hand in cold spring water, let it fill your palm and slip through— tell me that’s not enough to feel alive............... ################################################# No pomp, no ceremony— just the restless sea smashing rock, sea‑salt tang in your lungs, and the quiet promise that the world will go on here, steady as a heartbeat, harsh as the wind, gentle as the light on a Donegal morning.

t’s Just the Light..... They say the morning is a silver coin slid under your door—no miracle— just this—warm weight in your pocket, a gentle nudge to open your eyes........ No grand sweep of destiny here, just the slow breath of dawn brushed across a kitchen table where mugs steam in the soft hush........ A bird taps the window like a small preacher with one message: “Stay, listen—life is here.” And what is life if not the quiet insistence of dew rolling across grass, the measured drip of the sink, the hum of day beginning......... You don’t need fireworks to set your heart on fire— just that slanted morning beam, caught in the dust motes like a choir of tiny lanterns......... When the world outside rattles your bones, close the door, stand still, breathe deep. Notice the light laying itself flat on the floorboards—plain, patient, lasting. That’s enough.

Under the Quiet Sky............. The earth bends low in the damp of evening, Grainfields whispering as if to know The weight of silence we carry, Cracked hands smoothing the fading sun............ I walk the lanes, where the hedgerows curl like old stories, Their thorns reaching out to hold the sky in place. Each footstep is a word, Each breath a promise made To the hills, to the dust, To the unspoken things we never say aloud............ The brook runs on like time— Unhindered, unbothered, A slow song through green shadows That only the worn understand............. Somewhere, far off, A lark threads its song through the cool air, Its voice a thread that ties my heart To what has been, to what might never be again. I wait for dusk to answer, But it, too, keeps its distance.

Whispers Through the Ashen Pines........................ The sky folds softly at the edge of dawn, Where the hills, in silent echoes, draw their breath. Between the crests, where shadows linger long, I hear the faintest murmur of a death. The wind, like fingers on a forgotten harp, Plays songs of seasons none remember now. The pines, so weathered, fold beneath their scars, Their roots are tangled in the earth's dark brow. I walk alone along this crumbling path, The stones beneath my feet are old and cold. In every crack, a memory's ghost, its wrath Too quiet for the world to ever hold. The years are whispers in the ashen leaves, That drift like dust on long-forgotten graves. Yet still, I walk, as if the heart believes The soil beneath me yet will lift and save. But all around me, in the amber light, The earth keeps secrets no one dares to speak. Each step, a prayer; each breath, a quiet fight, For moments lost and promises too weak.