Why is it
That you are always
Swimming out
Into the deep nowhere,
Turning your back
On those who care?
Out there
There is the vortex
That will bring you down.
No need to go there
Too far out for me –
Such a poor swimmer -
To pull you free
Of the vortex
Of self crashing
Headlong against
Self unendingly
Tim Quinlan (born 1958) is a teacher in Dublin, Ireland, and has published one book called Still Point Meditations (Veritas, Dublin, 2002) and writes poetry both in English and in Gaelic. His poetry has appeared in Poetry Ireland Review, No. 38, Summer 1993, Syllables Anthology (1993), Chapter And Verse Anthology (1995), Riposte (Broadsheet, 1995-2000), Extended Wings 4 (1998), Acorn 9 and Acorn 12, e-journal of Dublin Writers’ Workshop, Scríobh Chapbook, Sligo, 2006 and Crannóg magazine, Galway, (2006).