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Ailis
Ní Ríain
I am an Irish, female composer and writer based in Manchester. Although my formal training has primarily been in classical music as a composer and pianist, I have been writing texts in the form of prose and poetry for several years, often incorporating these within my musical compositions, my particular interest being in voice theatre and soundscape.
My writing is probably best described as lyrical prose; I see it as a natural extension of my musical composition: notes becoming words and visa versa. It has often been described as poetic prose and voice theatre; the rhythm, pace and tone of its delivery being of most importance to my ear. Information
about my work can be found here.
Thank you
You reassured me under a selfish sun,
Eased my soul,
Eased my mind.
Some days you're like my twin.
And when I am frayed with fear like today
You follow my wayward lead
Unquestioningly.
Supporting fragility.
When I am rich with loss like now
You carefully steer me
Away from thoughts
of dangerous release.
That crazy strength,
Beneath your calm veneer
is the force that releases my spirit.
Keeping me here.
Taste
Today is the day,
The day after you.
The day after innocence.
You tasted like I thought you would,
Bitter.
Sweet.
Treachery is always easy
Sometimes...
Today is the day,
The day after you.
The day after retribution.
You reassured like I thought you would,
Meaningful.
Lies.
Treachery is always easy
Sometimes...
Stuck in this broken morning
Trust ebbing away -
Rusting with the shadows of lovers.
You tasted like I knew you would,
Bitter.
Sweet.
Christy Brown
I can't think of anyone
I would rather spend time with than you, Christy Brown.
You bitter-ball of sarcasm and rage,
You self-defeating haughty whore,
With your demented demons mirroring mine.
I'd wheel you in and prop you up
In the finest snug in Eire
We'd drink ourselves sane,
Trying to reason with logic,
We'd slay the base creatures in power,
Telling them all where to go
With their charm-less platitudes
And outrageous stupidity.
We'd dribble with bathos - pathos for fools.
And talk of our twins, those bastards of kin,
Who taunted our tantrums,
Flaunted our failures,
Gaunted our visage,
Such blackness envisaged,
I'm on the run again Christy,
I'm on the run again away from me.
Are you listening Christy?
Can you hear me tonight?
I started this in sunlight
Now the night is falling and darkness is settling around me still
Driving the memories ever nearer the surface.
Let's have another drink
Then for sure we'll remember
What we need to forget,
I remembered her face, his fury,
Her broken spirit and broken bones.
We'll remember more
The more we drink
Ourselves away from and
Towards it all again.
You'll lose sympathy for my sorry tale -
And disappoint me furiously,
You'll most likely be right to encourage me
To either harness it or let it go
And I'll listen to you
Through filtered ears and blood-shot eyes
And I'll be grateful to you
For your cruelty.
The rhythm of stability
Some days there is a thought
Some days a notion,
Whether with you or without you -
A caution.
A rusty ideal, a once favoured emblem,
A symbolic sensation -
Of self.
The rhythm of stability
Echoes through the complication,
Reliability is not perceived
To be echoed by genius.
But madness often is.
The rhythm of stability -
Heals.
I walk at Night
I walk at night
It's how I face
It's how I face it all...
Faintly -
They fall.
Faintly,
Faintly,
I fall...
I hear you,
I hear you in my -
Sleep,
Stand,
See.
I stand
I Lie, I Lie, I Lie.
This is one night.
I see you
I see you in my...
Six, seven, eight -
You came -
Again,
Again.
And I,
And I?
Lie.
See?
This is one night
I do not speak.
You do not hear me say anything.
I am not here.
This is not my story.
copyright © Ailís Ní Ríain
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