Declan Geraghty

Declan Geraghty

Declan Geraghty is a writer and poet from Dublin, with poetry published in “The Brown Envelope” and “The Cry of the Poor” anthologies.

Paseo de los Refugiados Celtas
Tuesday, 02 January 2024 21:23

Paseo de los Refugiados Celtas

Published in Poetry

Paseo de los Refugiados Celtas

by Declan Geraghty

Hands calloused
strained
on our knees
we are Celtic refugees
our country long dead
dear citizens of Eire
you matter
we give this complimentary tent with all sincerity
the rain
is coming
hurricane Varadkar
on the horizon
our tents blow
tents we imagine as palaces
my dog a great steed
like Don Quixote de la Mancha
our imagination keeps us from the clutches of insanity
blocking out the shame we feel
shame that wasn’t ours to begin with
the water rises
the tent flails
disappearing
with the sea
we drag ourselves up
to a roofless sky
affordable housing now we shout
hands raised
from goose pimpled arms
our heads bobble in the cold wind
hair sandy blonde
skin pale
eyes blue
capitalism's not working
its intentions obscene
our heads bob
hair sandy blonde
skin pale
north western European
we are Celtic Refugees.

The Capitalist's Guide to Inflation
Monday, 03 July 2023 07:29

The Capitalist's Guide to Inflation

Published in Poetry

The Capitalist's Guide to Inflation

by Declan Geraghty

Wars
in far-off lands
it doesn’t make sense
the made-up inflation
the one that sticks around
like a bad smell
even when the dust settles
for products we consume
products they invented
the ones they brainwashed us with
from your Edward Bernays
reeling us in
then ramping it up
the century of the self
to our century of nothing
but struggle
the tins
they go on forever
on the shelves
of those aisles
it’s our fault they imply
that’s why the they don’t pay tax
looking down
from lofty offices
or lofty heights
talking carbon footprints
inside the comfort
of private jets,
I see multicoloured tins
on the shelves
that I can’t afford
I feel it
in the pocket
the stomach
it’s gone
out of reach
they went too far
so I light a thinly rolled-up fag
and try
to walk it off
the tins
so many multicoloured tins.

Ireland is a Landlord
Tuesday, 19 April 2022 08:26

Ireland is a Landlord

Published in Poetry

Ireland is a Landlord

by Declan Geraghty

It’s just doors and walls
just a tiny spot of land
just plastic and wood
just tubes and metal
for water and heat
cables for light
a chair to sit down on between the walls
to rest your weary bones
walls to protect from the wind and cold
the roof from rain and elements
and it’s all a trap,
it’s all a set up
they have us on a hamster's wheel
just to have four walls
and a roof from the elements
and it gets heavier
the burden of rent
the pressure
until you can’t afford to eat
or put on the heat
just breathe and wait
in the cold between four walls and a roof
not to mention the floor
although we get walked over as well
and there will come a time
when we all know when
when to stand up
and say no more no more to this madness.