33 Comments
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Benno's avatar

That second stanza was gorgeous Conor!

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C J O'Hare's avatar

Cheers Benno

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Jane Dougherty's avatar

'ponies proud-footing'

Love that image! And this is the first ref I've read to Arawn. I put him in my historical fantasy trilogy.

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C J O'Hare's avatar

Cheers Jane - Nice! I will have to check that out (your trilogy) - Annwn draws close at times, and Arawn is always there, in his many guises!

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Jane Dougherty's avatar

First volume will be published this summer. I don’t have a date yet but possibly July.

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C J O'Hare's avatar

Wow that exciting Jane! I'll be sure to keep an eye out - fantasy is my go-to normally

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Jane Dougherty's avatar

It’s a mash-up of Irish and Norse Tenth century alternate history, the myth of Atlantis and Fomhóire.

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C J O'Hare's avatar

Sounds cool. I love Norse too, after a spell living in Sweden. Fomhóire - will Balor be making an appearance? Or do I just have to read to find out?

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Jane Dougherty's avatar

Balor is in another story. I didn't use mythological characters in this. The Fomhóire are just 'giants from the sea'. Fish with legs really.

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Bradley Hardeman's avatar

This was... SO COOL. I love the form of each stanza and unique style of each-- also, your rhymes were so satisfying to read. What was the thought process behind each stanza? And the I, II, III, IV arrangement?

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C J O'Hare's avatar

Thanks so much for the careful reading Bradley - this is a poem on the theme of death (slipping away as indicated in the subtitle), and I'm riffing hard on the sea-shore here as a metaphor for the barrier between the two worlds - that's all I really want to say - the rest is up to you! I chaptered the stanza's because I wanted these events to be read sequentially (in time), so as to anchor the poem a little better in a narrative structure - but also as you say, the forms were also very different. Thanks again for your comment!

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Bradley Hardeman's avatar

Love hearing about peoples' creative process. This poem is definitely an inspiration for me moving forward! Going to find a way to save it if I can hahaha. Thank you for the insight and amazing works!

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C J O'Hare's avatar

I think you can save publications within the app - such kind words Bradley, I'm humbled by your appreciation for this - if you want to DM me we can definitely go deeper into my process/meaning etc for this one - but I warn you, I'm no expert!

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Caroline Mellor's avatar

I'm not sure what it all means, but I loved every line - conjuring the myth and mystery of the sea, and your deep connection to the land. Stunning work.

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C J O'Hare's avatar

Thanks so much Caroline, I can't seem to put pen to paper these days without wrestling internally with some sort of mythological figure - really glad you enjoyed!

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K.C. Knouse's avatar

I honestly can't say I understand the meaning of this poem, but that doesn't matter. The imagery is mesmerizing.

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C J O'Hare's avatar

Thanks KC, don't sweat the meaning - to paraphrase a very wise and creative person I connected with on substack recently, regarding meaning: with every re-read, the prize gets smaller! Glad you enjoyed!

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K.C. Knouse's avatar

I have to say this poem has been on my mind since I read it yesterday. That speaks volumes for your writing, CJ.

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C J O'Hare's avatar

Thanks so much KC - that's about as high a praise as I could ever hope to get - I write very much from the gut and very often in a bit of a reverie, and I centre my words on a theme which is always clear to me (in this instance grief and a recent loss); meaning is something that comes to me after much contemplation - maybe that provides you with no more insight, but it's really tough to explain!

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Cathie McKimm's avatar

Love this and the use of alliteration really helps the rhythmic flow of the poem as if it is flowing itself from the sea. Some standout and clever lines - ‘the sea is its own banshee’ that leads of verse 2 and ‘little boy bruises on the balls of his feet’ bring it beautifully back to the human (mortality). Too much to praise in this poem! Did you take the photo yourself?

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C J O'Hare's avatar

Thanks! Yeah thats my photograph, down amongst the cobbles!

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Jens Zaar's avatar

It seems that the king of the otherworld is frustrated by the lack of souls crossing the threshold into his kingdom.

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C J O'Hare's avatar

Or . . . is it the other way around?

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Jens Zaar's avatar

Ohhh my god, you're killing me here ;)

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C J O'Hare's avatar

Lol - I didn't want to ruin your experience as a reader! Essentially though - in grief - we may sometimes wish to throw open the doors to the underworld - for our own ends, not necessarily Arawn's

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Jens Zaar's avatar

My interpretation has been polluted by the fact that I am a religious studies major. Although my response to your response was the fact that I was impressed that your intention turned mine topsy-turvy, lol.

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C J O'Hare's avatar

I'm so glad to see there was enough space in my poem for both your interpretation and your reinterpretation - Can't ask for much more from a response - thanks Jens! I'm guessing you may study a lot of poetry as part of your academic studies?

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Douglas Bruton's avatar

Fabulous... I really was pulled into this. Just beautiful. Thank you C J O'Hare.

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C J O'Hare's avatar

You're welcome Douglas - and thanks for commenting - really glad you liked it

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

"Ponies proud-footing over pottery..." / "The sea is its own banshee" / "...of the fullness of the feathers; of the stillness of the breathhold; of the fanning of the wings" / "the purple hips of the low-growing burnet"

Your language has such exquisite musicality, Conor. A pleasure to read aloud.

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C J O'Hare's avatar

Thanks so much Sharron! It has to pass the ear test!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Yes it does. I have been know to change one sentence twenty times to get the melody right…

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C J O'Hare's avatar

Sounds like my general approach to every line!

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