Thou O Burren hast opened mine eyes and my tongue shall announce thy praise
Strong grey, defiant grey,
Speckled, freckled grey,
Spilled grey, frilled grey,
Shattered, splattered grey,
Smooth grey, Orate pro nobis
Splodged grey, etched grey,
Fluted, muted grey,
Scored grey, gouged grey,
Slitted, pitted grey,
Fossilled grey.
Orate pro nobis
Sand crumbed grey, Ora pro nobis
Moss bearded grey, Ora pro nobis
Browny, peaty grey, Ora pro nobis
Pocket hollowed grey, Ora pro nobis
Softly folded grey, Ora pro nobis
Steady grey, leady grey
Flakey, slatey grey,
Foggy grey, smokey grey,
Warmed, scorned grey,
Clerical grey.
Orate pro nobis
Morning grey, mourning grey,
Dusted, crusted grey,
Cloud grey, proud grey,
Muddled, fuddled grey,
Piebald grey.
Orate pro nobis
Elemental, regimental grey, Ora pro nobis
Sea smoothed grey, Ora pro nobis
Featured erratic grey, Ora pro nobis
Dark cave grey, Ora pro nobis
Crunched gravel grey, Ora pro nobis
Monastery grey, hermitage grey,
Dolloped, scalloped grey,
Plover grey, eagle grey,
Spiked, gryked grey, Pavement grey.
Orate pro nobis
Sun-baked grey, Ora pro nobis
Wind cooled grey, Ora pro nobis
Worn statue grey, Ora pro nobis
Celtic cross grey, Ora pro nobis
Stone bishop grey, Ora pro nobis
Cemetery grey, tombstone grey,
Shadowed, hallowed grey,
Feathered grey, stippled grey,
Mysterious, imperious grey,
Crumbled grey.
Orate pro nobis
Fanore blued and bronzed grey, Ora pro nobis
Mullaghmore twirled and swirled grey, Ora pro nobis
Corcomroe prayerful abbey grey, Ora pro nobis.
Blessed Blessed Burren grey, Ora pro nobis
Santa Maria de Petra Fertilis Ora pro nobis
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Lila Stuart lives in Belfast. Her poems have been published in: Washing Windows, Washing Windows Too, and Burren Insight as well as in Poetry in Motion Anthologies: Write Up There, Making Memories, Matter and Resonance and Find and Vision. She also has been published in local periodicals and magazines.
Painting: Midnight on Burren Pools by Manus Walsh
