Under a broken sky
the countryside to the horizon
the green of new leaves
(P159)
Those championship days
with all to play for the county
alive with colour
(P17)
An ordinary day
a resident of the town
carried to the grave
(P150)
I am who I am
in the image of God as you
are and everyone else
(P172)
In a troubled world
this shining star is the hope
of all everywhere
(P62)
Leaving the main road
the endless din of traffic
the by-roads in spring
(P 105)
Perhaps a mystic
the homeless man who just smiled
watching the clock move
(P 143)
A life beyond time
the person you are spirit
in the eyes of God
(P 44)
For all its worth
a thrush sings from a tree-top
the sun going down
(P 151)
For those out of doors
and without a home a prayer
to God to shield them
(P 15)
The same expression
year after year of the cross
in a small grave-yard
(P128)
Inside Cover Notes
In an imperfect world, our consciousness of creation is not always as clear as it might be. One of the purposes of prayer is to enable us to become more aware of God, ourselves and our world. In a state of perfect awareness everything would be understood. Small World by Dermot O’Brien, a collection of short poems in haiku form, contains moments of this awareness.
Written by the author while residing at St Aidan’s Monastery in Ferns, Co. Wexford, the inspiration for the poems comes from the life of prayer in the monastery and the everyday life in the countryside surrounding the town of Ferns.
Small World will appeal to anyone who has ever had reason to struggle with their faith. Like stepping stones across a stream, the haiku offer a foot-hold in the flux of time, and a pointer to God, the ultimate reality.