


Her sharp-brown eyes survey the scene
Choking ivy of emerald green
Though fallen leaves now wet –
Soon melting underground
Arguments to forget
Or grow a thicker skin
Against ones hard to win –
As pain of loss more profound
If she no longer around;
Her voice I’d miss, so I fix
To memory a mother’s eyes
Surveying scenes; cutting
Ivy of emerald green
Sweep away her restless sighs
Like leaves upon her drive.
© Helen Harrison
Picture 10952556, photograph by Michael Sinclair, 1995, image copyright Mary Evans / Medici
Originally from the Wirral in England, born to Irish parents, Helen Harrison has been living in Ireland most of her adult life. She was awarded funding during 2014 from The Arts Council of Northern Ireland for a seven-day course studying poetry at The Poets House in Donegal. She has read poetry on The Creative Flow, Dundalk FM, and at various venues around Ireland. Many poems have appeared in journals and magazines. While a person who enjoys the rural life and growing flowers and herbs and foraging from the wild, she often gets the travel bug and writing is inspired by these journeys. Her first collection of poetry, The Last Fire, was published by Lapwing in 2015. Some of her poetry can be found at: http://poetry4on.blogspot.ie/