Ciarán McAlinden’s poem: The Discombobulated Man


I’m Feeling Rather Discombobulated, He Related, While Staring Up Towards The Heavens.

It’s Just A Befuddled Viewpoint, That Disjoints, Leaving Me All Sixes And Sevens.

It Started This Morning, Without Any Forewarning, When I Woke Up Bumfuzzeled.

While Watching The News, And Political Views, That Left Me Frankly Puzzled

At All The Lies The Distain, The Hatred So Ingrained, Why Do So Many Make Do.

With The Imperatives, From Political Representatives, Who Regale In Gardyloos

With Their Platitudes, And Stoic Attitudes, Its Our Decency They Dilute.

Reigning Down On Us, With Inane Gallimaufry Guff’s, While We Reach For Our Bumbershoots


I Saw Leaders Berate, Debate, And Attempt To Abate, The Dribbles Of Their Own Tarradiddle’s.

While We Sit Back, And Wait To See, What Our Fate Will Be, While Playing Second Fiddle

As They Exhibit, The Morals We Prohibit, All Cloak And Dagger, With A Statesman’s Swagger.

I Watch Them Prospering, Through Their Snollygostering, While They Lollygagger

Their Superfluous Outputs, They Never Discuss, And Not Once Giving Tuppence.

While We Sit In The Wings, Impotent Underlings, Praying For Their Comeuppance.

But What Can One Do, About This Abhorrent Snafu,. Is The Dye Cast, On This Faux Pas?

Our Political Verisimilitude Is Our Political Turpitude, In Need Of A Constitutional Bypass.


But How To Remodel, Without Genocidal Squabbles, While Waiting For New Role Models

It Makes Me Cry, Brings On My Borborygmi, And The Thought Of Such Squabbles, Gives Me The Collywobbles

The Thought Of Brouhahas, Instead Of Ooh La La’s, Makes Me More Than Reluctant.

To Speak My Mind, Lest I Be Quarantined, NO, It Makes More Sense, To Be Pauciloquent.

Never To Bloviate, And State My Case, No,, Say Little, And Be Seen As Mr Metaphysical

Embrace The Status Quo, And Let My Essence Grow, Until I’m Lackadaisical

Never Over Stating , Or Knowingly Berating, The Nincompoops, Who Have Been Manipulated.

O Dear, I Fear For My Verbal Noctambulation’s, Did I Mention, I’m Feeling Discombobulated?


After retiring from a career in sales management Ciarán McAlinden began  his journey as a writer. Inspired by writing classes and mentored by Alf McCreary, Ciarán has spent the past two years crafting Poems,and humorous short stories drawn from his life and experiences. These include two collections, Spadetown Stories about growing up in Lurgan, Travelers’ Tales from his time on the road selling Guinness. He regularly performs at Tenx9 events in Belfast and  recently founded ‘First Drams’ an event to help showcase the work emerging writers. Ciarán is currently  in the process writing his first novel a supernatural thriller titled, ‘The Mirror Man’. He lives in Belfast with wife Roisin and children, Shane and Meagan.

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