Douglas McClarty

I was a child of the troubles
Got to know about bombs and bullets
Empty parked cars were avoided
If you were a child of the troubles
...

If you put an ear
to this ancient ground
You might just hear
a mystical sound
...

I walked across the meadow
On a moonlit silver night
I passed the bridge above
the ridge
...

A road stretches and seems endless
For those who never wander far
In life how many steps will they take
For some, like going to the moon
...

McDermott's second hand
furniture store
Was on the Bedsford Road
Coleraine
...

When the beauty of the body begins to fade
When we cross the line from young to old
When the jet black hair has turned to grey
When reading the obituary's takes up your day
...

Can, t wait to get away
Got the tickets ready to go
Got the case packed full
Leaving the torrential rain
...

A great betrayal in life is
when your doctor dies before you
Years of advise binned
The pills to keep me around
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I have no fear of them
Yet they fear me
Even though they sit
under my tree
...

Escape from northern Emerald's icy grip
See Teide slipping away from this ship
Sailing south to Islands sunny and green.
Where dreams ended for unsuspecting souls
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Yesterday's pain can hunt us still
Bitter memories, lurking deep
Waiting to disturb sweet dreams
While you struggle to sleep
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A ten pence fishing line and hook
was essential
A pot of juicy black head worms too
As my brothers friends and me set
...

My field lay bare almost barren
Grass competing with rushes
Natures stored energy wasted
As if it was waiting on me to decide
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The winds blow down from Orra
As I walk upland from Cushendun
The Antrim hills now white with snow
Make this treacherous journey slow
...

Where have all the shops gone.
So many doors have closed
On so many others dreams
Life quickly changing, before our eyes
...

Just look, what thoughts go through her mind
When she looks at me, though just glimpses
Could she want to know me more
What does she look for that excites her mind
...

In almost an instant,
as the camera points
We see places, cultures,
people struggling to survive
...

Not far from shores of plenty
A swallows flight, no more
Another ship of pleasure arrives
From their warm, cosy nights dreams
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Sitting on a Steam train, going to Belfast
Leaving Coleraine Station I sit alone in fear
For I have sold my life I'm just in my fifteen year.
No hugs, no kisses no tears from mum
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I sat with others perplexed, lost
He stood staring straight ahead, silent.
Not a word was spoken to the crowd
Minutes past, still not a single sound
...