Red moon of summer evening
August heatwave lasts apace
Cows bark like jackals
The queen dwells cool in residence
Her standard fluttering high
Strange messages linger still
Peace descends in silent waves
Old dragon winks wisely through the fields
Fingers of celestial clouds
Invade virgin sky
O heavenly father I have sinned
I forgot to bring the bins in
We sit and smoke the heavenly nectar
Music that brings sweet sleep down from the blissful skies
The dragon rises again
A powerful monster living down in the darkness
The hidden one appears for a moment’s turn
The holy one’s true self slips out to speak
Sixteen again back in that Deutschland garden.
He stares at the clouded moon
Kenneth Hickey was born in 1975 in Cobh, Co. Cork Ireland. He served in the Irish Naval Service between 1993 and 2000. His poetry and prose has been published in various literary journals in Ireland, the UK and the United States including Southword, Crannoig, THE SHOp, A New Ulster, Aesthetica Magazine and The Great American Poetry show. His writing for theatre has been performed in Ireland, the UK, New York and Paris. He has won the Eamon Keane Full Length Play Award as well as being shortlisted for The PJ O’Connor Award and the Tony Doyle Bursary. He was shortlisted for the Bournmouth Poetry Prize in 2022. He has been selected for the Poetry in the Park project and has been awarded a poetry mentorship by Munster Literature Centre. His work in film has been screened at the Cork and Foyle Film Festivals. He holds a BA and MA in English Literature both from University College Cork. His debut collection ‘The Unicycle Paradox’ was published by Revival Press in November 2021. He still resides in Cork.
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