Four Poems by Gordon Ferris

 

Words spoken

 

It's one of those days  when the words 

decide to present themselves 

without any prior warning 

no relevance to what's 

occurring in my world. 

They appear from the dark 

from the deepest recesses 

of my dreaming-sleeping-brain. 

 

don't seem to recognise

the  place or time 

it's like it comes from another realm 

slipping in here and now. 

the meaning remains a mystery,

like, when you wake   

from a dream

If you don't grasp it 

you lose it,  

but I will work to at 

making its purpose 

accessible.

   

 

 If

 

If you loved me 

as you say you do

the sun would disappear

behind the greying cloud

 

our day would 

turn into night

our world – turned upside down 

 

if you loved me 

as you say you do 

you would show me 

how to do it right 

 

to cut straight 

not across  

as you know I should

The door  

imposing obstacle

to Freedom

no locks or bolts

just restraints 

on the will to leave. 

the same restraints 

tie the hand 

that holds the pen

making the words 

stay where they are

White lies

 

When you lie

and walk away 

it looks like there are no

consequence

for that lie.

But, when you walk away 

does your warmth

turn into ice

are your eyes 

expressionless

does your truth 

Ooze forth 

from all your pours

bulging, bursting 

to get out into--the world.

Gordon Ferris was born in  Dublin. In the early eighties, he moved to Donegal where he has lived ever since. He started writing in 2014 and has had many short stories and poems in many publications.  He has also won prizes in the summer 2020 HITA Creative Writing Competition for his poem ‘Mother’, and won the winter competition for his poem ‘The Silence’. Poetry Ireland awarded Gordon a Poetry Town Bursary in 2021.

In January of 2023, Gordon had his short story collection Echoes published by Impspired.