Ronnie McGinn's Poetry Page

Our poem this week vividly and immediately identifies with its subject and maintains a balanced if somewhat humorous aura throughout each verse.

The poem does not rely on hackneyed expressions and the author has breathed new life into our understanding of Christmas as we may choose to look at it from a modern prospective.

The choice of form and style blend perfectly with the mood of the poem. The originality of the poem puts it in a class of its own.

It has always been my contention, whether it's original or not I'm uncertain, that attention to detail is the difference between success and failure.

Marion Horgan of Cobh, Co. Cork, Ireland pays a lot of attention to detail in her writing. Not just in the big details but in the little ones that are obvious to us yet we never seem to pay them much attention.

This comes across beautifully in her book 'My Road'. Everyone should have a copy. Mine is never far from my bedside.

Catalogue Christmas

It's a catalogue Christmas,
So what would you like?
I'll take a play station,
And throw in a bike.
It's a catalogue Christmas,
It's all on display,
There's even mail order,
Act now, don't delay!

It's a catalogue Christmas,
So what's it to be?
The jeep on page fifty,
And the gun on page three!
The elves and the reindeer
Are on a go-slow,
'Cos it's all in the catalogue,
Ready to go!
O, where is the wonder,
And where is the awe,
The hoping and wishing
For ol' Santa Claus?
It's a catalogue Christmas,
That's so uninspired,
Let's cut out the middle man,
Santa, you're fired!

© Marion Horgan