About CC

Marie Shine (1950) is a poet of Listowel, the literary capital of Ireland. She started her journey as a poet in 1965 with her first poem ‘Galway -v- Kerry’ published in a national newspaper The Evening Herald. After that she wrote a number of poems appeared in various magazines and newspapers across the globe, but her first collection of poetry My Potpourri of Poetry could come out very late in 2011. Her second collection of poetry A Sense of Life was published in 2018. Moreover, some of her poems have been anthologized in a book produced by The Just Write Group of Listowel called Hearth Song and also in The Ballydonoghue Journal among others. She has also been the editor of A String of Words, a collection of poems of five poets. Her poetic talent was recognized in June 2005 when she came 2^nd in The Dunlavin Arts Festival of Poetry and in July 2007 when she got 2^nd position with her English poems in 'The Irish Christian Fellowship Association'. She served as the Editor of Creation and Criticism from April 2016 to April 2019. She resides at 32, Ballygologue Park, Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland- V31 EC84 and can be contacted at mariejshine@gmail.com.

1. Bullet of Words

Your bullet of words ripped open my heart.

It shattered into a million pieces.

I don’t want to talk about it

but you were cruel to me from the start.

Love is blind

and I could never see

that one day in anger

your hand would speak to me.

There was no “I’m sorry!”

No words of regret.

Life simply continued on as usual

and I wish that I could forget!

I have long forgiven. It is now in the past

through the scene replays in my mind.

I wish I’d never met you

and Fate to me had been kind.

2. A Verbal Slap On The Wrist

It was a wonderful morning, second day of Autumn.

The golden sun strode playfully across the blue sky.

Not a cloud to be seen!

My little boat sailed slowly on 'The Sea of Life'.

Ripples gently kissed it's sides as we passed by.

I was divinely happy. It felt so good to be alive!

Without intending to, I unknowingly upset you.

The sky darkened and thunder rumbled as lightening

streaked across the now dark gun metal grey sky.

The golden sun disappeared.

My little boat was rocked from side to side by a gale force wind

on the turbulent waves.

A cloud burst, filling my little boat with water.

The wind tossed it ashore as though it was made of paper.

Nobody noticed I was crying,

they thought my tears was rain which poured down my face

from the sudden change in the weather!

3. A House without Love

Hush! The silence speaks so clear

of sparring partners and living fear

Broken with a word here and there

inflicted without thought or care

It grows louder, though unheard

Roaming freely, undeterred

Hitting doors in every room

filling them with laden gloom

No spider dwells within these walls

Nor web bedecks the entrance halls

Love has died inside the home

Where shadows dwell and ever roam

There's no remorse for words once said

Now love has gone, the house is dead!

4. A Pet Is For Life

Feeling abandoned and lonely

the hungry night air nips my ears

His bite is hard and gripping

My eyes fill up with tears

I haven't ate since yesterday

when I found a juicy bone

Nor had a sip of water

You see... I have no home

I had a loving family

They were really kind and nice

The children loved me very much

Taught me how to hunt some mice

But now the children are grown up

and I am old and grey

Nobody seems to care for me

so, I have run away

If you should see me on the road

struggling my path to plod

Perhaps, you might take me in?

I'll be a good, loving, obedient dog!

5. A Tortured Soul

A tortured soul can see no light

brightest day is darkest night

Darkness overwhelms each day of the year

Each moment is ruled by darkest fear

Nothing seems real living in a world surreal

Numbed to the bone, nothing I feel

Inside is a void nothing can fill

Each molehill insurmountable, a bitter pill

All joy has gone, drained to the last

There's no present, no future, only the past

Longing to sleep, yet wide awake

Uncertain how much more I can take

Enveloped by dark thoughts filled with fear

Unable to laugh or shed a tear

Feeling I'm dead, though I'm still alive

as once more into the darkness I dive

Note: This poem is not a personal write. It is my muse writing on what life can be like for a beautiful soul living in a world where light does not enter.