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

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/