And the butterfly
flies with folly
on fragile wings
a million flaps
between
earth and sky
to light
to carry
troubled things.
All Words and Sketches by Damien B. Donnelly
Simplicity
FINDING FAVOUR
Dig deep fisherman, brave man,
for there is worth below the waters,
between the silence
and the stillness,
between the fish to find
and the tangles to entwine,
between the breathing in
and the letting go, let it go,
between the desire to dive
and the danger of drowning.
Dig deep fisherman, simple man,
for there is madness in the making
beyond the bank and bed
and bark and bait,
beyond the trees that tower
and the skies that shelter,
beyond the seductive stillness
and the call of the silence,
beyond the fortune to be found
at the end of your line.
Dig deep fisherman, honest man,
salvation lies in your simple swing
far from the sinners
swimming upstream,
far the faithful
drowning in the shallows,
far from lies
cast to raging waters, enraging waters,
far from the substance
since sucked from the sacred.
Dig deep fisherman, still standing man,
make not the crowd your coffin
sure is the rod
that sweeps the silence,
brave is the bait
that slips though the stillness,
clever are the cautious
who consider the current,
fortunate is the fisherman
who finds favour far from fools.
All Words and Photographs by Damien B. Donnelly
Audio version available on Soundcloud:
LEAPING ON LAUGHTER
All Words and Drawings by Damien B. Donnelly
LINGER LIGHT, LONGER
Linger
longer
in this light,
this fragile luminosity,
let me be your curiosity,
shun the shadows for sadder days
for more somber sighs when it’s again the time to cry
but for now
linger
longer
in this light,
in this simplicity,
this momentary tranquility,
entreat me your tenderness,
your warm caress against my being, my body
linger
longer
on the faces,
the passing faces,
the faces of people pacified,
of people satisfied in this light,
in this sun where shadows sat before
where shadows will rise again in minutes, in seconds
but for now,
it’s just light
not just light, LIGHT
radiant LIGHT casting reflections
on what has been and what can be
on what is probable and all that is possible.
Linger
longer LIGHT
Oh lovely LIGHT.
All words and photographs by Damien B. Donnelly
Photographs taken on Ile de la Grande Jatte, Paris.
FREE AT SEA
He is as much the boat
as the water is the ocean
He is as cognate to the current
as the tides are to their motion
A simple man, a fisherman
with his home upon the sea
his only ties to an oar and cast,
he is freedom floating free
All words and Photographs by Damien B. Donnelly
AT THE RISING SUN; Tunisia, Remembering Brighter Days
Shandy shades of dust speckle the ground
And gallant tones of green
Dot the landscape
From which the scent of olives ooze,
Before mixing with the aromas of musk,
Distant Morocco
And the comical smell of buring tires.
At dusk,
I am driven by a blind taxi driver-
Judging by his driving-
Along a road
Which seemingly stretches through the sea
Whilst seagulls dive for food
Before the final setting of the sun.
That morning,
I had strolled along golden sands
And watched tides sweep over my feet,
I saw white robbed men
Close their eyes
And wrap themselves
In prayer and peace.
I saw the sun rise
And pour its rays
Over the tombs of those
Who had long since gained
Eternal rest.
A simple life witnessed,
With riches extending far beyond
The grasp of materialism…
SUMPTUOUS SIMPLICITY
i wandered through the wood,
A world away from the walls
And ways of man
And his madness,
I wandered through the wood,
Its dewy fragrance,
Floral yet familiar,
Floating free and fluid
On filaments of air
That enamoured my nostrils
And enticed me to linger longer,
To look behind the bush
And briar, to witness nature
And all it nurtures as it fights,
Forages and furnishes fertile fields
With its bark, bramble, beauty
And bravado and it is brave,
To dare to demand your divvy
From hands of hungry humans
Harbouring monotonously for more
And more of more and more,
I wandered though the wood
And took time to thread through
The twisting paths taking me
To the truth of this terrain
That we worship
From a worrying position
Of polished pride
And perverted prejudice,
Perceiving the ferns and foliage
To be folly’s fuelled only
For our fancy and frivolity,
I wandered through the wood,
Garnished in grassy greens,
Golden and graceful, glowing
Under the sun’s synergy,
Sensitive to surroundings,
Savvy to predators
Preying in the undergrowth,
I wandered through the wood,
Branches unabashedly blooming,
Beating and baying their way towards
A better day, a brighter bounty,
I wandered through the woods,
Caught in a clarion curtain
Of captivating light,
Leaving leaves luminous
While sheeting a shadow
Over all that sat superfluous,
I wandered through the wood,
On the edge of the city,
Walled in with worry,
And rested awhile
Amid the certain serenity
Of all its sumptuous simplicity
THE ANGEL OF THE MORNING
The darkness passes
To nights recesses
As the Angel rises
Embraces, caresses.
Through angelic actions
Her wings will open,
With one calming touch
Our souls shall waken.
With visions deep
From inner eyes
We’ll embrace the earth
And the heavenly skies.
‘Awaken dear world
To the visions I bring,
As I charm you from sleep
Through the songs that I sing.
I’ll grant you a gift
So gracious and fine,
All darkness shall drain
And the light reign divine.
In this morning of innocence,
Embrace all simplicity,
Let your souls rise elated
As you embrace all its purity.’
Damien B. Donnelly 
