There were just a few of us in the room, gathered round a table. I had been invited to speak. … More
Tag: Chemotherapy
Some rainbows
It wasn’t all rain. There were rainbows among which Shawna has blogged about fountain pens again. Honestly, she could do … More
Open letter to Arthur Frank (on reading At the Will of the Body)
Dear Arthur Frank I’m writing to say thank you for your extraordinary book At the Will of the Body. It is … More
Courage
Courage It is in the small things we see it. The child’s first step, as awesome as an earthquake. … More
On Being Chipper
There were just a few of us in the room, gathered round a table. I had been invited to … More
Cured
A Tuesday, appropriately. (Tuesday being the day I was formally diagnosed.) Poetic, it strikes me now. But at the time, … More
#NaBloPoMo 18 – Afterwards
After they left, the house went very quiet. No one really knew about the quietness but me. I played a … More
OK to talk about cancer
‘I heard the most amazing thing today. It was a bloke off the radio, don’t remember his name, does that … More
On not having cancer
On certain afternoons I am certain it has come back. A twinge in my right side, where the pain … More
Bookmark
Made of orange card, it’s an outline of my son’s hand. Comprising two sections, one his tiny, spread fingers, … More
An interview with Poetry Spotlight
This is the opening question and answer to an interview with Paul Clyne of Poetry Spotlight, published today. To read … More
Walking into the light
We walked into the brunt light, towards the hospital. The air was dry, February-cold. Traffic was going about its business. … More
Things people said when I had cancer
‘I am so, so sorry.’ ‘You’re going to be fine.’ ‘Fight it, you know you’re a fighter.’ ‘Are we going … More
The most popular Lifesaving Poems of 2015
Here is a list of the most-read Lifesaving Poems during 2015: Mary Oliver, The Journey UA Fanthorpe, Atlas Ted Hughes, … More
What I have learned about remission
I am taking a break from writing brand new blog posts over the summer. Instead of posting new work I … More
It’s not about you, it’s me: on saying goodbye to Twitter
What I want is to – to be present. That’s what I’ve learned. I want to strive for presence, now, … More
Guest posts and summer reading
As I did last year, I will be taking a break from uploading new posts to this blog over August. … More
Lifesaving Poems interview podcast
This is the link to the podcast of the interview I gave yesterday on the Arena programme, RTE, about … More