Guest Poem by Mike McNamara

Mike McNamara had his Selected Poems Overhearing The Incoherent published by Grevatt and Grevatt in 1997. His poems have appeared in Acumen, The Atlanta Review, Orbis, International Times, Ink Sweat & Tears, The New Welsh Review, Tears in the Fence, etc, and he has several collections. His poem Other Times was featured in the 2022 Bridport Literature newsletter and his latest collection Mondegreen was published in Nov. 2022 by US publisher Aji Press. This poem is from Acumen 107.

Writing in Ice

It gets harder to claim
the lie of few summers lived
when so many winters
have taken their toll.

The deceiver fools you.
More fool you.

Writing in ice on frozen bone
contusions of ruptured words,
mortality’s wounds
on the immortal soul.

The reaver robs you.
Poor robbed you.

Outside the Cathedral.
Outside the castle,
the social housing schemes,
the frontline, prison,
the bar room or the public school.

In broad daylight
the deceivers rob you.
Blind
the reavers fool you.