Almanac Poetry: ‘Family Ties (For Bernadette, Bella and Bridie, 25 December 2024)’ – Paul Noonan

 

Paul listens intently at the Poets’ Lunch

Paul Noonan was one of the Footy Almanckers who accepted the invitation to read one of their poems at last week’s Poets’ Lunch.

 

Accompanying Paul’s poem for publication he added the following thoughts about reading his poetry on the day.

 

‘Impostor syndrome was powerfully at work when I got up to read my poem – the directness, simplicity and authenticity of the work that the “real” poets presented was apparent, and my own writing is  stilted and over-written in comparison. Still, I’m delighted to provide this to publish  on the Almanac site’.

 FAMILY TIES

 

(For Bernadette, Bella and Bridie, 25 December 2024)

 

I read a science blogger’s piece the other day: “Very Sad Planet Orbits Very Sad Star” the headline read.

 

I wondered: might that describe B and me, both, had I not kicked against the traces of convention and sent an Oz Post message by express to plight my troth!

 

Pythagoras and Kepler posed “The Music Of The Spheres” in centuries past: vain attempt to explicate and humanise the soul-less movement of celestial bodies. The revolutions of those heavenly orbs appear implacable; yet chaos theory posits that the beating of an insect’s wings might cause a cyclone, given time and circumstance. Who knows?

 

Brian Cox tells us that our earthly bodies were assembled by the laws of chemistry and physics from the hearts of long-dead stars: how wond’rous!

 

Patrick Kavanagh’s mother made the sounds of milking ‘neath a mythic star on a corresponding day: his father played melodion at their family’s gate as they remembered the legendary Jewish family whose story resonates today, more or less.

 

My solipsistic wings, beating like an insect’s years ago, led us here: a family bound together, for best or less, by ties that seem unbidden but we can change with our free will.

 

We are our own solar system – twin stars drawn together by their own actions, orbited by dual exo-planets free to wander as they please within our realms.

 

For this, today, I thank our lucky stars.

 

 

More from Paul Noonan Here, and also Here

 

 

More poetry from Almanac Poetry can be read HERE

 

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