Remembering...

The months between October and December
Always draw me back to those years now gone
Between autumn’s leaves and twinkling lights
It’s very easy to recall so many happy memories
Times shared with loved ones, no longer here
I miss all that excitement of travelling to visit
Airports overfilled with pre-Christmas bustle
Arriving to the warmth of much-loved hugs
Winter warming drinks and tasty festive foods
Scents and smells evoking childhood goodness
Being together was a precious gift for each other
Now there’s a certain emptiness to these months
It’s how life is as we are moved along by memories
Remembering the past while enjoying today’s times…
 
Eileen T O’Neill 23/11/2023

 

I Love...

I love the discovery of new destinations
Perhaps an anticipation of the unknown
Which takes my breath away at first sight
Yet leaves indelible memories in mind
It’s the draw of the impending journey
Once all decisions are made and booked
Clothes and accessories carefully chosen
Departure day arrives with an early alarm
Checking and rechecking all is in order
Off to the airport as excitement takes hold
On our way to new places glanced on maps
Between wonderful Alpine Mountain settings 
Or the ebb and flow of fresh Atlantic waves
Travelling into seasons of magnificent change
I love these connections to the world of nature
Though no matter where we wander to explore
The masses of many scenic images captured
Returning home is the experience I love most…

Eileen T O’Neill 16/11/2023

Footprint...

From the front window I can see my tree of seasons
It’s a regular barometer for observing the changes
Springtime’s bounty of fresh and luscious growth
Blossoming into a mass of pinkish-white petals
This wild cherry tree adds colour to April’s Garden
Autumn’s arrival and presence is often windswept
Unnerving and felt loudly when east winds blow-in
Many days can be quite placid with a softer rain
Nature takes its course as leaves tumble to earth
Rustic clusters settling into mounds upon the lawn
Bare limbs forlornly adopt their seasonal mode
Nearby flowerbeds capture the newest footprint
Viola and pansy flowers still retain cheery smiles
Where Fall’s tokens now adorn the scenic view…

Eileen T O’Neill 09/11/2023

 

 

 

 

 

Moving House and Home...

Many years ago, with conversations and decisions made
All that was our furnishings and trappings of our homelife
Were carefully packed and listed into sixty packing boxes
It was a busy time with engagements about a future house
Hopeful imagining was all that could be envisaged back then
Realisation arrived on the morning of moving and departure day
A huge container truck gradually packed away, all that we owned
This was the moment when this planned change became reality
We then flew from what had been our birth town into an unknown
Across the Irish Sea and arriving at a new address, as the strangers
Unpacked and settled into the surroundings we made into a home
Along the way we have met with curious enquiry about our accents
An unnerving inquisition as we find ourselves between two lands
Away from years of civil unrest and a possible lifetime of uncertainty
At times we reflect on how that decision has directed life’s choices
Those journeys taken to explore other destinations and continents
Revisiting hometown wasn’t the same without familial connections
There are major differences between having a house and a home
Home is most definitely where the love and warmth of family lingers
Family gatherings are with an open invitation to the heart of our hearth...

Eileen T O’Neill 2/11/2023