“Prayer before Birth”
Louis MacNeice
1907-1963 Irish

I am not yet born; O hear me.
Let not the bloodsucking bat or the rat or the stoat or the
club-footed ghoul come near me.

I am not yet born, console me.
I fear that the human race may with tall walls wall me,
with strong drugs dope me, with wise lies lure me,
on black racks rack me, in blood-baths roll me.

I am not yet born; provide me
With water to dandle me, grass to grow for me, trees to talk
to me, sky to sing to me, birds and a white light
in the back of my mind to guide me.

I am not yet born; forgive me
For the sins that in me the world shall commit, my words
when they speak to me, my thoughts when they think me,
my treason engendered by traitors beyond me,
my life when they murder by means of my
hands, my death when they live me.

I am not yet born; rehearse me
In the parts I must play and the cues I must take when
old men lecture me, bureaucrats hector me, mountains
frown at me, lovers laugh at me, the white
waves call me to folly and the desert calls
me to doom and the beggar refuses
my gift and my children curse me.

I am not yet born; O hear me,
Let not the man who is beast or who thinks he is God
come near me.

I am not yet born; O fill me
With strength against those who would freeze my
humanity, would dragoon me into a lethal automaton,
would make me a cog in a machine, a thing with
one face, a thing, and against all those
who would dissipate my entirety, would
blow me like thistledown hither and
thither or hither and thither
like water held in the
hands would spill me.

Let them not make me a stone and let them not spill me.
Otherwise kill me.

“Life”
Neil Lawful
1970- Irish

There are so many—
Streets avenues and roadways
So many streets and walkways
So many windows so many views

There are so many—
Opinions viewpoints and ways
Places and days
Crooked faces and bootlaces
So many rain and sunshine days

There are so many—
Choices decisions
So much colour life memory
But only one common goal?
Today is the tomorrow
We dreamt of yesterday.

“Knows Nothing”
Neil Lawful
1970- Irish

Standing there waiting
Waiting patiently
He had not got a care
People came and went
Some even began to stare
He was aware thinking
Sometimes reminiscing
Seen a young couple kissing
Trucks and cars
People and dogs
Oh why do they stare
At the man
Who doesn’t have a care
He will accept and
Maybe sometimes he too will stare
But after all he is
The man who knows
The man who knows anything
Knows he knows nothing.

“Knockin Around”
Neil Lawful
1970- Irish

What I’ve been doing
Past couple of weeks
I don’t know a month or two
What I been doing
I really don’t I just don’t
know
Been filling in time nothing
Particular to do
Been taking my time
Just whiling away
Stumbling around unsure
This bumpy ground
Not sure where I’m going to
Lost just simply knockin
around.