Blundering Democracy

A plethora of pain - in a
Purely platonic relationship - based on
Explosions and exploitations -
Engagements and assassinations - ending in
Disastrous deterrents -
Devastating dexterity - leaving the
Pathetic public presentation unmanned -
Using preventatives and preservatives -

Emily Came To My Funeral

I felt a funeral in My brain,
I really did.
It lasted for two hundred and eighty seconds.

But, there were no mourners,
For I did not hear the boots of lead.
And I did not hear the treading, treading.
There were footsteps from someone,
Emily, I suppose.

When the service began
I heard a beating, beating.
But, it was not a musician's drum,
It was more like a carpenter's hammer.

When the beating, beating had ceased,
I heard them wheel a box.
And then all was still,

Until I heard the toiling shovels,
Toiling for one another,
Sounding like a bell.

And when they ceased
There was some strange silence,
Broken by a breaking plank.

Enigmatic

(my subconscious perceptions)
You use the teeth of your victims for beaut-
-Iful jewellery. You harass my peop-
-Le with your poisonous snakes. You die and
Your soul rips And tears at mine. You use my
People's blood as an after dinner treat.
You hide away in your quiet mountain
Cave. You steal the rations from my people.
You murder the children my wife gives birth
To. You have eyes that can burn through skin. You
Send your spirits to bother my livestock.
You spread disease over my food crops. You
Release wild dogs in to the atmosphere.

(my sleeping conscious perceptions)
You make your servants refer to you as
A goddess. You run naked through my pri-
-Vate parks. You fly around my domain with
Your magical wings. You pray to your sav-
-Iour and call him husband. You feed off the
Energy output of life and love. You
Walk in the snow to find the chosen flake.

(my waking conscious perceptions)
You are more beautiful than beauty it-
-Self. You eat from a plate with a knife and
Fork. You wash your hands in the pond of for-
-Giveness. You are born of wonderful par-
-Ents. You bring joy and hope to those with none.

(my lasting perception)
You are a walking talking enigma.

Sitting Alongside You, My Lord, Cheers Me

Sitting alongside You, my Lord, cheers me,
In this grass, by this tree, at this river,
Forever is what I hope us to be,
With warmth like yours, my Lord, I'll not shiver.
My Lord, they challenge your beauty and grace,
They wish to go into battle at dawn,
My Lord, You shall not show your graceful face,
I am to You as a deer is its fawn.
As I sit by your eternal river,
I feel the slowness of your loving heart,
I begin a journey, which starts in You,
I can feel your pain and see You quiver,
Imagine You in your head, play your part,
Use me as a catalyst, I am true.

^

Biography

My name is Philip McManus. I was born in Dublin on the 2nd of March 1982, making me nineteen years old. I am currently studying for my leaving certificate and hope to go on to study English at third level. I first started writing about two years ago. It started with me scribbling silly words and phrases, that were floating around my head, down on paper and eventually i put a few together and formed my first poem. It's been all up hill from there. I've written about two hundred poems now and i enjoy reading over them because it is like looking back at my life over the last two years. I have had work published in my school magazine and on the Internet (scriobh.com).