Hi All
It's a great day to share with you the work of someone (this week it's plural) I find highly talented. It is an honor to present, on the Jimmy Broccoli page and website, the poetry of Rhiannon Owens & Ashley O'Keefe.
Rhiannon & Ashley are the 3rd and 4th Welsh poets featured here - seems there is a lot of talent in Wales. I first ran across their poetry several months ago, purchased a copy of "Rhianno & Asley: In Poetic Dreams" and haven't stopped reading their work since.
Here are Rhiannon & Ashley in their own words (with links):
Rhiannon and Ashley met via an online writing group and since then have published five poetry books together as well as becoming firm friends... By the way... There is much more to come, watch this space
Here are two poems by Rhiannon Owens and Ashley O'Keefe - and I know you'll love them as much as I do! ______________
From Book 5 'In Poetic Dreams'
Sunken Dreams
Lost and alone Far out to sea, Has this all been a dream? It’s been so real to me…
A voyage of discoveries From the very start, Setting sail with the tide The moon and stars in our heart,
We are castaways, unanchored, We've cut loose, sails billowing,
We are unmoored…
Flowing on our sea of words, in an ocean of verse, We are immersed, far from the shore,
Somewhere 'Beyond the Sea,' On this floating world of creativity.
Lost and alone Far out to sea, Has this all been a dream? It’s been so real to me…
Seeking poetic lands Travelling through time, Experiencing the wonders We are partners in rhyme,
We are sinking, sunk, gazing up from the seabed, Salt in our eyes, alone, sunken words, Sunken dreams,
We are capsized…
But above us, a path through the water gleams, And we are buoyant, never to be sunk again, Our words are like birds, that take to the skies, Out of reach of the waves, mocking the tides,
And just like our words, We rise... We fly!
Lost and alone Far out to sea, Has this all been a dream? It’s been so real to me…
Seeing with poetic eyes Saccading east to west, From the ancients to the Oscars Our writing stands the test,
On this never-ending Odyssey Past sea monster and siren In this blue infinity,
So many worlds So many lands,
But no desire to drop anchor just yet, No yearning to dig our feet into warm sands,
Lost and alone Far out to sea, Has this all been a dream? It’s been so real to me…
Searching across poetic sands Our innocence lost, As the seasons change With the seas, we have crossed
Typhoons whipping up cruel, lashing waves We are dashed against rocks Spun in a whirlpool Caught in a sandstorm,
Cruel grains rake our faces Pinpricks of blood on icy skin, Two windswept, bedraggled figures Looking forlorn,
But we battle on like old salts The vagaries of the weather Cannot dampen, Our pioneering spirits within,
Lost and alone Far out to sea, Has this all been a dream? It’s been so real to me…
In poetic dreams We awake, we connect, We gaze at the moon In our eyes, stars reflect,
The haunting echoes of sea shanties surround Wonders of the sea and sky all around, Are we finally homeward bound?
Could that be land in sight? Glimmering beneath The magical enchantment Of those swirling Northern Lights?
Is it time to stir from the dream… An epic voyage, Where nothing was ever as it seemed?
We've sailed under cloak of darkness, Been serenaded by shooting stars, Watched over by a silvered Moon And planets,
Venus Mars
And those stars will guide us back again Should we want them to, And in some ways dreams Are always true,
And journeys carry on, Staying with us till the end,
For, I've got my sea-legs now I can hear the ocean call, so until next time…
Bon Voyage, my friend!
Lost and alone Far out to sea, Has this all been a dream? It’s so real to me…
Our words are like birds, that take to the skies, Out of reach of the waves, mocking the tides,
And just like our words, We rise... We fly!
© Rhiannon Owens & Ashley O’Keefe ______________
A sneak peek poem from our forthcoming book, 'Nocturnals'
Precious Saviour
In the solitude of my darkness Where the shadows tend to hide, The only escape is sleep From the demons I have spied,
That kiss of cold lurks in the air It tries to take my breath, The only escape is sleep Or I'll surely meet with death...
I huddle under my quilt Clutch my pillow, head beneath, Desperate for sleep to come Break the curse that dark bequeaths,
Stark imaginings fill my brain I toss and turn, I weep, Till finally I'm in the arms Of my precious saviour, sleep.
Rhiannon Owens & Ashley O'Keefe (RHIANNO & ASLEY) ©2022
Photo: Ashley O'Keefe & Rhiannon Owens.
