Three Poems by Ursula O'Reilly

 

HOBGOBLIN 

I discovered a goblin one day,

In a box, concealed in my attic.

Opened the lid, and he peeked

Out from the shadowy dark.

I faltered, slammed it shut.

 

The lid of the box quivered,

A clatter resonated within,

Followed by an eerie creak.

The container slowly opened,

Miniature hands emerged.

 

A goblin face gawped out.

Who is there? It demanded.

What fool dares to disturb!

A hobgoblin cannot slumber

Without rude interruptions!

 

This house is mine, I declared.

My attic, my box. You can go!

The rascal glowered at me.

The box is my dwelling, said he.

I have always lived right here.

 

He leaped to the floor, and I

Gaped at his miniscule stature.

Had he always resided here?

Whatever the truth, I determined,

My neighbour was a hobgoblin.

MASKS 

 

You wear a mask, so do I.

I have possessed many masks.

Each one chosen with forethought,

Not a soul would see my face.

 

My masks were all spectacular.

Some assumed the mask was me.

While it remained out of sight,

Forgot what my face looked like.

 

Till I wearied of the façade,

And every mask I ever wore,

Lay hurled away and broken.

Discarded pieces on the floor.

 

I no longer wear a mask,

Except perhaps once in a while.

For every person wears a mask,

You wear yours and I wear mine.

HAVE YOU SEEN THE FAE FOLK?

 

Have you seen the fae folk,

On a chilly winter’s eve?

Marching round the hill fort,

Atop the midnight knoll?

 

Have you met the wise folk,

On a sunlit afternoon?

Down in the eerie forest,

By the silvan brook?

 

Sweet the babe is sleeping,

Beside the cheering fire.

Or is a faerie changeling

Resting tranquilly there?

 

If you encounter fae folk,

Do not pause your stride.

Continue your excursion,

Without a glance behind

Ursula O’Reilly is a writer/artist living in County Cavan, Ireland. She is the author of numerous poems and short stories and is currently working on a novella. Her tales are drawn from life experiences, fairy stories and mythology, and people/events, real or imagined. She writes in several genres, and enjoys investigating the boundaries between fantasy/ illusion and reality.

Ursula’s poetry and fiction has appeared online and in various literary magazines including: ‘Dawntreader Magazine’, ‘Vita Brevis Press’, ‘The Literary Yard’, ‘Poetry Plus magazine’, ‘Woman’s Way magazine’, ‘Young Ravens Literary Review’, ‘Otherwise Engaged Literary and Arts Journal’, and by ‘Earlyworks Press’.