Author: Paul O'Mahony

I'm Paul O'Mahony - living in Cork - Father - Poet - member of Toastmasters International - Business storytelling consultant - Podcaster - Blogger - Foodie - Loves to connect with people. . linkedin.com/in/paulhomahony

ThoughtForToday – 17 October 

  

I play. 

I am a musical instrument. 

Sometimes an orchestra out of key. 

A string quartet at odds with itself. 

Other times 

– a pure violin making sacred notes. 

You too make your music. 

Play.

Mind, heart & imagination of the maker

 My hope for this blog is that it will (gradually) become a special place.

Where makers of art (defined widely) will share their stuff.

Where it won’t be an occasional guest blogpost.

Where (in addition to poetry) there will be virtual sculpture, video storytelling, cartoons, music, philosophies, manifestos – all introduced.

Big work, little work, work-in-progress, personal stuff

– all introduced. 

The maker speaks – not only through the work. 

As I’ve just written to Lars

“My wish is that every piece of creative work will be introduced by the maker. Any way they like – I think people are more & more interested in a behind the scenes peek into the artist’s way.”

It’s time I went back & introduced my own work. People will explore backwards.

____________

See: https://paulhomahony.wordpress.com/2015/10/14/do-you-need-a-computer-to-make-electronic-music/

Chicago calling 

– lines composed as a result of spending a Sunday afternoon in The Green Room, Chicago, in July 2014

Play with your eyes 
out of your head 

Strum the chords

out of your corners

Crawl all over

his melody 

into ecstasy  

across the tap tap 

slap into the face of her heart.

Glasses pop

into stacks

wicked slick 

beats bleat 

complete insider

Out to play 

The Green Mill pill

ThoughtForToday – 15 October 

  

My way.  

By the way 

what is my way?

Fingerprints. 

Retina. 

Unique genetic hand-me-downs. 

But 

there’s more to me. 

My way

– what’s that? 

What do you say’s my way? 

That belongs to no one else.

ThoughtForToday – 14 October 

  

It’s not easy to be present

attentive in the moment. 

So many thoughts swirling 

senses alert

memories crying for notice

 – and the “to do” list 

hanging over you.

So what?

It’s my birthday 

Even the earthworms are dancing

leaves crinkling bent smiling

heron reflecting from Glashaboy bank

–  It’s my birthday

Even Tweets are landing

Periscopes popping

Facebooks refreshing

–  It’s my birthday

the day to smile

love and be loved.

Diarrorhea from Asia

followed by

jetlag

and

nose

dripping

snot.

It’s my birthday

the day to smile

love and be loved.

__________________________

Note:  Composed yesterday

ThoughtForToday – 13 October 

Explore…

your disappointments

your triumphs

your anxieties

your uncertainties

your wishes

Become a world class explorer

ThoughtForToday – 12 October 

Your birth day is

well worth celebrating.

If you hadn’t

successfully dealt with

that challenge

– you wouldn’t be ready now

for your next move.

ThoughtForToday – 11 October 

  
When you stand for “Kindness”

– you are a kind person

– kind to others

– you also speak kindly about others

– you live kindly.

You feel kindly towards yourself too. 

ThoughtForToday – 10 October 

The further you travel

– the more you learn

The more confusion you welcome

– the more wisdom you gain

The more disappointment you tolerate

– the stronger you grow

The less you quibble with others

– the more loving you are

Getting hammered in Malaysia 

[If you can’t see the player below, please click here ]

__________________________

Getting hammered in Malaysia

pelted on by heavy water

flared by lightening

assaulted by thunder gods

– as if I’d been cosseted in the womb and sucked outside

– so unlike the Malay.

Raindrops are not under your command

we are sent to clear your air 

disrupt the haze

silence your cough. 

Nothing lasts.

Nothing continues

Nothing sits on top of you 

unless lightening strikes your heart

and takes your breath away.

ThoughtForToday – 8 October 

  

Tell yourself what you believe.

Tell others too.

Show yourself your belief.

Show others too.

When you tell – you present your front.

When you show – you are convincing 

ThoughtForToday  – 7 October 

  

It’s wonderful 

we humans come 

in so many 

sizes 

shapes 

languages 

beliefs 

cultures. 

So many differences to relish. 

And we all love kindness. 

ThoughtForToday – 6 October 

  
The human body
sucks it all in.
Your entire body
experiences,
senses,
records

imagines. 

You don’t have to do anything 

except keep breathing 

Flying to Malaysia

  

Flying to Malaysia is like 

sailing to Antartica,

Trekking to Tasmania

eloping to Ethiopia 

cycling to Shanghai

potholing through Rockies

ballooning beyond Bolivia

rowing to Rumania 

– It’s a confidence act.

It takes imagination to dream 

and courage to fly.

I didn’t put fuel in the airplane

didn’t oil the engine

nor train the pilot

nor test the emergency exit

I didn’t chart the course

didn’t make sure the co-pilot took her medication.

I simply trusted an imagination I didn’t invent.

Unknowing the Indian Ocean

the Bay of Biscay

the gulf of Hormuz 

the mouth of the Brahmaputra

and why the earth isn’t a perfect sphere.

If Malaysia didn’t exist,

Rhodes would have invented it

and I might have plonked it  

out of sight

so we could amuse each other with questions like

“What would you do if 

you were born in Tajikistan 

and fell from an angel’s wing 

over Kuala Lumpar?”

 or 

“Is the square root of the latitude of the Federation of Malaysia equal to the sum of the other two sides involved in the revolution?”

Because you’ll never find it 

unless you can imagine a black-haired boy 

in an emerald green rugby jersey 

shouting “Ireland, Ireland” 

as he snapchats his way from KL to Cork. 

I am a failure


I am a failure

I failed my mother and father

– so they had more children.

I failed to like cod liver oil, tapioca, even semolina.

I failed to grab the offer my father made

– so the brothers got the business.

I failed as sociologist

– so I became a bus conductor.

I failed as a conductor

– so I moved on to be a manager.

I failed as a manager

– so I became a leader.

I failed as a leader

– so I became an owner of my own business.

I failed as a husband

– so I found another wife.

I failed as a father

– so I had another child.

I failed to live forever in England

– so I sailed back to Ireland.

I failed to stop the clock

– so I faded by the day.

I failed to be satisfied

– so I changed the world

I failed to find the answer

– so I learned be a poet

With that track record

– what chance do you think I have?

ThoughtForToday – 30 September 

  

The sun shines every day 

– even when you can’t see it. 

Life is bright & beautiful 

– even when it’s obscure to you. 

You are a lovely person 

– even when you can’t see it