Anvil Press Poetry

‘It takes a special genius to see the real and important lurking in the mundanely routine – O’Driscoll, the Irish Larkin, does. This most astute of poets juxtaposes the soul of the artist with the exactness of the anthropologist; the result is work of meditative intelligence, humour and forgiving humanity.’
– Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times

from Dear Life

Life gives
                  us something
to live for:
                  we will do
whatever it takes
                  to make it last.
Kill in just wars
                  for its survival.
Wolf fast-food
                  during half-time breaks.
Wash down
                  chemical cocktails,
as prescribed.
                  Soak up
hospital radiation.
                  Prey on kidneys
at roadside pile-ups.
                  Take heart
from anything
                  that might
conceivably grant it
                  a new lease.
We would give
                  a right hand
to prolong it.
                  Cannot imagine
living without it.