Iona

Within her shades of green and blues

The waves and breeze; the stony hues 

The peace evoked is palpable 

Crofts snuggled in her hilly mounds

Lulled gently by Iona’s Sound

Her repose... unfathomable 

With weary lungs I breathe sea in

Exhale all worries and my sin 

Her Holy grace... historical 

St Columba from Irish shores

Brought religion to pagan souls 

Poor Oran’s heart... unstoppable  

First Celtic church and monastery 

Cradle of Christianity 

A thin place... irrefutable 

From Martyrs’ bay sailboats are seen

Cove’s bloody past hard to conceive 

Savagery... undeniable 

 

Now ferry mounts her crystal shores

Not Viking boats in search of hoards

Terror... unimaginable   

Amongst her abbey’s sacred grounds

Monks envisioned with their heads bowed 

Legacy... immeasurable

New pilgrims retrace nun’s footsteps

In contemplative prayer attest

Healing through love is... possible

So when I wave her shores goodbye 

Her calm I take in my mind’s eye

Renewed my hope... I am humbled

© Debbie Razey 2021 - Violet Moon Poetry.

The Gem of Mull

Oh Calgary! Oh Calgary! 

Where shadows dance o’er emerald peaks

Pearlescent waves... crest cobalt sea

Fine white sand glistens under feet  

Oh Calgary! Oh Calgary! 

Where saffron tipped grass sways in breeze 

Whispers sweet secrets of the sea 

No bay has more beauty than thee

 

Oh Calgary! Oh Calgary! 

Where blacked rocks frame ocean scene 

Birds glide golden thermals serene 

O’er shallows of aquamarine  

Oh Calgary! Oh Calgary! 

Where Buttercup rays warm the sea 

And babbling brook sings gleefully

Gem of Mull nestled... sublimely 

© Debbie Razey 2021 Violet Moon Poetry.

#poem #poetry #westernisles #Scotland #IsleofMull

Life’s Test

 Life’s Test

There are holes in me 

Holes that can't be filled 

Holes that can't be healed 

Grief that won’t congeal 

Hearbreak... I conceal

There are scars on me 

Scars that you can see

Scars just known to me

Hurt I’ll always feel 

Proof... my love was real

There's sadness in me

Pain ‘neath mask of clown 

Pain, harsh words resound 

Memories... that hound  

Loss... etched on my brow

There’s tearstains on cheek

Tears won't leave me be 

Tears others don't see

Pools... in which I drown

Heavy... regret’s cloud

There is love in me

Love for those who’ve gone 

Love embalmed in songs

Relations... gone wrong

Warmth... for them still strong 

There is peace in me 

Peace, I tried my best 

Peace, I loved... no less!

Through your love was blessed 

Fulfilled... now can rest

There is hope in me

Hope’s love shines in me 

Hope my love sets free

Kindness... is my quest 

Knowing... Love’s life’s test

© Debbie Razey 2021 - Violet Moon Poetry

Hallowe’en

 O therworldly spirits return on All Hallows’ Eve

’C ross death’s gossamer veil, which on e’en 

    opens between 

T he parallel realms of the living and the 

    deceased

O nce Druids welcomed, dead loved ones to 

   Harvest’s grand feast 

B efore Roman’s came ’twas Celtic festival, 

   Samhain 

E erie animal heads worn... sacrifices ablaze  

R eflected in trick or treat, masks, lit 

   pumpkins... today

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

R oman’s Ferella, commemorated their  

   dead

E nglish Celts, appeased by combining 

   Samhain instead 

B obbing apples a throwback to goddess

   Pomona   

O rigins, are also Christian - All Saints and 

   All Souls 

T he Halloween of today is about having 

   fun 

C ostumes, lots of bright candy, decorations, 

   lanterns. 

O ccult, spooky ghosts, vampires, 

   witches, cats and cauldrons  

 ©  Debbie Razey 2020 - Violet Moon Poetry.

Snakes and Ladders

 

Perpetual dawn, perpetual night 

Sewn on wing of terror’s bird; in full flight 

Fear it simmers, then as the frog, it... spawns

Dread, in abundance, as our hope’s furloughed 

Serpent sings and hisses... the sound’s the same 

Held in suspension; as the virus reigns 

Will vaccine’s ladder win back normal life?

Or is our game doomed... we’ll fall when it strikes?

©  Debbie Razey 2021 - Violet Moon Poetry.