VERITY
the madrigal, volume iv
The Proposal
by seamus mcdermott
In that moment
I was never as sure
about anything
I knew your answer
lying on the single bed
in a dated hotel
brass numbers on the door
a menagerie of birds
heavy floral patterns
and tasseled lampshades
our friends left
for a concert
we lay-on between sheets
threw caution to the wind
laughed and bristled with innocence
held each other tight
our breaths mingled
can we stay
like this forever
bedsheets pulled up
over our heads
your answer a summer breeze
on my face
in my memory
hiding under the sheets
let me ask
you again
let the sheets
tent our laughter
another wave crash
over our innocence
I stole for you
brass numbers from the door
let the student-grant buy the ring.
Seamus did not discover the love for reading and writing poetry until in his fifties and now his life revolves around it. Seamus has been shortlisted in The Bangor Literary Journal 2021 Forty Words competition and the Allingham Arts Poetry Competition for 2020 and 2021, highly commended in the Frances Browne Literary Festival 2021. He’s published in Little Gems magazine spring, summer, autumn and winter editions and in the 11th edition of Crossways Literary Magazine June 2021. Seamus had a video-poem selected for screening at Reel Poetry / Houston Texas 2021 Film Festival, the Ó Bhéal Poetry Festival 2021 and the international film festival MOPIFF 2021. Seamus’ first play ‘Mass Online’ was selected and produced as part of Little Acorns, An Grianan Theatre Short Plays Project 2021.