White House Poetry Revival 1st. March 2006

White House Poetry Revival
Wed 1st March. 2006 9.00pm

The regular open-mic session continues at the White House this week.
All those who wish to read are invited to do so.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coming soon to the White House.
Kerry Hardie...Greg Delanty...Grant Mc Leman...Dermot Mc Garthy....Sandra Bunting...Keith Armstrong..
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Complementary finger food is provided and proceeding commence at 9.00 pm.
For further information contact Barney Sheehan at 086 8657494 or Dominic Taylor at 087 2996409

Email whitehousepoets@eircom.net
Website http://www.limerick.com/whitehousepoets
Blog http://www.whitehousepoets.blogspot.com/

How To get There

The White House pub is located in the centre of Limerick City at 52 O'Connell Street. Its exact location is on the corner of Glentworth Street and O'Connell Street, opposite the Ulster Bank and the Bank of Ireland. It is approximately 5 minutes walk from the train and bus station - exit the station and go down Davis Street, pass Taits Clock continue on down Glentworth Street and the White House is on the right hand corner at end of street.

Poem Of The Week 'Merciful Curtain' by Gerard Sheehy

Merciful Curtain

I caught the tail end
of a lady talking on TV.
She was telling her own
and millions of others' story.
She said
that every night in the camp
she would dream,
beautiful dreams
about taking trips to Paris,
about fine food and clothes
and of seeing her love,
her darling husband Sasha soon.

But she didn't see him again.
He died two weeks
before his camp was liberated.
And the day she left her camp
the dreams stopped;
not just the beautiful ones. All dreams.

Fifty years of life later
she smiled and called this
her Merciful Curtain.

Ger Sheehy is a regular contributer to the open mic sessions at the White House Poetry Revival

Listen to a rare Mary Oliver recording

Listen to a rare recording of Mary Oliver, the Pulitzer prize winning poet.

Last November, Mary Oliver give a reading in Seattle. Unlike some poets, Mary Oliver makes few public appearances and I have never seen or heard her give a reading. Also, she has just lost her life partner not long before the reading tour began. For what it's worth, I think you will come away knowing that she's the "real deal" when and about what she writes.

The local public radio station recorded her talk and part of it is now available, if you're interested, at:

http://www.kuow.org/defaultProgram.asp?ID=10055

The program begins (abruptly) with Mary Oliver reading "The Journey".... reprinted below

The Journey

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice --

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

"Mend my life!

"each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do

--determined to save

the only life you could save.

~ Mary Oliver ~

(Dream Work)

White House Poetry Revival Wed 22nd Feb. 2006

White House Poetry Revival
Wed 22nd Feb. 2006 9.00pm

The regular open-mic session continues at the White House this week. All those who wish to read are invited to do so.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coming soon to the White House.

Kerry Hardie...Greg Delanty...Anne Marie Wilton...Mike Byrne....Sandra Bunting...Keith Armstrong..
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Complementary finger food is provided and proceeding commence at 9.00 pm.

For further information contact Barney Sheehan at 086 8657494 or Dominic Taylor at 087 2996409

Email whitehousepoets@eircom.net Website http://www.limerick.com/whitehousepoets Blog http://www.whitehousepoets.blogspot.com/

How To get There
The White House pub is located in the centre of Limerick City at 52 O'Connell Street. Its exact location is on the corner of Glentworth Street and O'Connell Street, opposite the Ulster Bank and the Bank of Ireland. It is approximately 5 minutes walk from the train and bus station - exit the station and go down Davis Street, pass Taits Clock continue on down Glentworth Street and the White House is on the right hand corner at end of street.

Poem Of The Week 'The Celtic Queen' by Barney Sheehan

Barney Sheehan with poet Knute Skinner on a recent visit to the White House Poetry Revival

The Celtic Queen

Your Peter Zellor Card
With all the little timber-coloured boats,
Came through the Greystones Manor door,
Sailed from the letter box,
Sat upon the worn out Wilton carpet
Upside down—in peace and perseverance.

A messenger of time and circumstance,
Waiting patiently for my demise
Or my return.

I saw it from the kitchen sink
When I came in
And ran slowly towards it.
Was it a tax bill, a chain letter,
Or just plain blasphemy.

Or was it something I could lean upon and joy.

I looked at it—the stamp and then the scrawl.
I dragged it open—slowly tentatively.

Glory be to God on high
And on earth—and I pondered
To those who deserve it.
The swinging, lively, rolling
Mantling reservation of Stranolar.

In handwriting as a Renoir or Lavery
Bold as an Eskimo bear
Elegant and smooth as the dolphin on Inisheer.

That you are alive and well
With your imperturbable spirit,
Still waltzing to the music of life,
Still moving across the the continent of thought,
Sends me to my monastic settlement
With ease, humour and forgiveness
For my lack of faith in a beautiful friend.

Presumption is a foolish expectation of salvation
Without making the necessary means to obtain it.

No sound from the queen of hearts
For two long years and now
A melody and graphic art to match.

Now all we need is an orchestra, acoustics and a palace floor.
Or fairy fort in a forest.
There is after all little wrong with dreaming.

Your Peter Zellor card,
Came through the Greystones Manor door,
Sailed from the letter box,
Sat upon the Wilton carpet
Upside down—in peace and circumstance.

Waiting for my demise
Or my return.

Barney Sheehan is the founder of the White House Poetry Revival. In a varied career as salesman, craftsman, would-be politician and poet, Barney has been responsible for putting Limerick on the poetry map. A talented poet in his own right, he is a member of Cuisle Limerick International Poetry Festival committee.

White House Poetry Revival Wed. 15th Feb 2006

White House Poety Revival
Wed. 15th Feb. 2006 9.00pm

This weeks special guest poet is Colette Nic Aodha.

Colette Nic Aodha was born in Sruthar, Co. Mayo. A writer in both Irish and English, her poetry collections are Baill Seirce (Baile Átha Cliath, Coiscéim, 1998); Faoi Chrann Cnó Capaill (Coiscéim, 2000); and Gallúnach-Ar-Rópa (Coiscéim, 2003). Her short stories are collected as Ádh Mór (Coiscéim, 2004). Her first collection in English is Sundial, (Galway, Arlen House, 2005) Her poetry has been anthologised in such publications as Field Day, IV and V and in The White Page / An Bhileog Bhán: twentieth century Irish women poets (Galway, Salmon Poetry, 1999), edited by Joan McBreen. She lives in Galway.
Complementary finger food is provided and proceeding commence at 9.00 pm.

For further information contact Barney Sheehan at 086 8657494 or Dominic Taylor at 087 2996409

Email whitehousepoets@eircom.net /Website http://www.limerick.com/whitehousepoets Blog http://www.whitehousepoets.blogger.com/

How To get There
The White House pub is located in the centre of Limerick City at 52 O'Connell Street. Its exact location is on the corner of Glentworth Street and O'Connell Street, opposite the Ulster Bank and the Bank of Ireland. It is approximately 5 minutes walk from the train and bus station - exit the station and go down Davis Street, pass Taits Clock continue on down Glentworth Street and the White House is on the right hand corner at end of street.
Map http://www.limerick.com/streets/map.html

Poem Of The Week 'Little Death' by Tom Moloney

LITTLE DEATH

The feeling from little Death riddles decline.
The child is grown-up, the grown-up is child.
To be is to know, no more need to do.

For now, you’ve come to your breath’s release.
There’s a hint of triumph or of questioning
your mortal lease, the policy outlined in
the skewed curve that the old life has drawn in
times of smiles and cries, some measure of peace.

No cruel streak emerges but part of that Bang
you have mimicked with your pulse turned to ‘on’.
With eyes dilated, know that you’re in Heaven,
her electrifying kiss… infinity,
her body, beyond words, a receptacle.
Know too, you have breathed immortality.

Tom Moloney

'Something Like Lovers' book launch.

The Poetry Ireland launch of Gerard Hanberry's new collection "Something Like Lovers' is aptly taking place on Thursday 16th Feb, the week of Valentines, in the Damer Hall, St Stephen' Green, Dublin at 7.00pm and will be launched by Joseph Woods, Director of Poetry Ireland.
Refreshments and all invited to attend.

Further Details: email gerryhanberry@gmail.com

White House Poetry Revival Wed. 8th Feb 2006

White House Poetry Revival
Wed 8th Feb. 2006 9.00pm

This weeks special guest is poet Matthew Sweeney.

Matthew Sweeney was born in Donegal in 1952 and is currently resident in Berlin.
Last collection, Sanctuary, published by Cape in autumn 2004. Selected Poems from same publisher in 2002.
Co-author of Writing Poetry (Hodder, 1997 – updated 2003), and editor or co-editor of several anthologies


As usual the reading is preceded by an open mic session in which anyone who wishes to read is invited to do so. Complementary finger food is provided and proceeding commence at 9.00 pm.


For further information contact Barney Sheehan at 086 8657494 or Dominic Taylor at 087 2996409 email whitehousepoets@eircom.net Website www.limerick.com/whitehousepoets Blog Http://whitehousepoets.blogspot.com

Poem Of The Week 'Main Street: A Fading Vision' by Dick Mc Ellistrem

Main Street: A Fading Vision

The riddling bouquet of burning sod
a grey dawn shuffling into day
Zephyr herdsmen hurry clouds
to an invisible rendevouz
damp Atlantic wind seeking entry
shrill high wire call of expectant bellies

The blanket splash of speeding wheels
sixteen valve traffic light house inner darkness
Doppler traffic life decrescendo
fossil piston-traffic crescendo

Marmoreal caricature in mirrored flame
tonsure-baldness kiss floating wisps of hair
neck-scarf choking fading musculature
tweed-jacket the fading bed-heat familiar enveloping
veined benevolence carcass the sunken visage

Leather belted trousers cling to spectral waist
skeletal ankles peer unsartorial
sockless cracked leather feet
pacing familiar motion.

Neuronal cogwheel rigidity
eyes dead-ahead, tram-line shuffle
heavy foot-fall rattling invisible restraints
terminal velocity achieved

Subliminal muscle expanding spongy bellows
life seeping through micro-filter
red cells queue the payload, transporting
ambrosia to cellular combustion
fizzy red-galleons return, decanting to greedy lung

Westerly gale-drops clarion call
Haydian flame sucks breathless
casts photons on empty walls
The riddling bouquet of burning sod

Dick Mc Ellistrem