False 1995 INNOCENTI They are not here- clay never held them but it is entirely possible That they return to consecrate this place Bless their father’s avid eyes, Fill the universe of their mothers arms wise as quatrocento angels Look for them in slanted light A host as soft as mothwings swoops and dips Across the bay They are up after bedtime retouching the lake with gleam and glint Tossing the Clare hill to desert, Dimpling the sea. In this time of wonders it is entirely possible that we are islands in the territory of angels. Mary O’Malley- October 1994 Commissioned by ISANDS and inscribed in stone to mark the burial area know as ‘ The Holy Angels’ in Galway Cemetery. IF I COULD If I could I want you here with me If I could change one thing That’s what it would be If I could I’d hold you to my heart Let you know you were loved Right from the start If I could we’d watch some fl owers grow If I could we’d make angels in the snow If I could we’d run barefoot in the sand If I could I’d hold you little hand If I could we’d wave at passing trains Let our tongues feel drops of falling rain If I could together we’d fl y a kite We’d give it a face and paint it all bright If I could change one thing That’s what it would be To have you here again with me. Joan Clancy for Aaron isands newsletter 86

False isands newsletter 87