Phillip Morrison

False teeth cloud the sky.
The better to eat you with,
the grey dusk growls.

Drown your shamrock
in gin or whiskey.
If you have a girl,
then have her kiss me.

Ring around the caps;
never stop the circle.
Black eye dawn,
swollen, purple.

A piece of coal,
a cackle.
If your love’s too skinny,
a luck penny.

Swear by some soda bread
to keep those alive

from turning dead.

Enter and exit
the same doorway.
Throw a boot
after the girl from Galway.

Plant rosemary, my love,
and pray.
If you see magpies,
may they be plenty.
Sláinte!

19 responses to “Sláinte!”

  1. Great! The first paragraph is amazing. ☺️

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, John. A few superstitions and a bit of luck. A fun write before the festivities.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Tom Avatar

    Lovely mix of Irish folk traditions here! Cheers to you :)🍻☘️

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks, Tom. I enjoyed spinning a yarn before going to the dance floor to unravel it. 🍀💜

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Tom Avatar

        You certainly hit the mark here! 💃

        Like

  3. blarney
    not barney
    boon and bane
    just the same
    perhaps~

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Alas, depends on the strain
      And the gain. 🍀

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      1. haste waste bitter tastes. a familiar song come along to excess.

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  4. What a fun read! I love how you weaved in all the familiar lore and made it into something new. Very enjoyable and well written.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Bridgette. This one was had my nerdy side all aflutter. I like when a poem makes me dig. I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment on my work. It means so much.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. A twist on mundanity. Well done

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much, VJ. It seems these days were are lucky if something tragic doesn’t happen. I really appreciate you reading and commenting on my poetry.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. My pleasure.

        Like

  6. Love the imagery of the first verse. Also the soda bread reference. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much. Yes, I’m learning new good luck traditions here in Thailand. I think I could expand on this verse with all of the new superstitions I hear from my students.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. love this one: the runaway rhythms and rhyme, the imagery, the fun — and great artwork to go with it !

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, John. My little bookworm side sure loved researching all of these good luck traditions. I really want to get back to a place where writing takes up more of my day.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. same here, Katie; no gas in the tank for me —

        Like

  8. Tom Avatar

    Very evocative descriptions from those little nods to Irish folklore. Lovely to read this afresh! 🙂

    Like

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