So I shot Myself in The Face
I went to the garden and it didn’t go so well,
So I shot Myself in The Face.
I went to the shops and it didn’t go so well,
So I shot Myself in The Face.
I made a phone call and it didn’t go so well,
So I shot Myself in The Face.
I left the house and it didn’t go so well,
So I shot Myself in The Face.
I walked passed a parked car
and in the windowpane, I saw a reflection, of my intact face.
I wondered then,
was my memory false?
Delicious Apple Tarts
I helped, carry the ingredients,
from the pantry,
we washed our hands,
under the cold-water tap,
with the green soap.
We strongly worked,
on mixing the pastry,
before rolling it out, slowly.
She added the hot, stewed-apple,
to the base, before adding the
lid and trimming off, the waste.
My grandmother placed,
the tarts, in the oven,
for what seemed, like hours,
before she removed,
the golden-browned tarts,
with a tea-towel,
unveiling the magic,
of her secret recipe,
she only, told me.
About the Author
Gavin Bourke grew up, in the suburb of Tallaght, in West Dublin. Married to Annemarie, living in County Meath, he holds a B.A. in Humanities, from Dublin City University, an M.A. Degree, in Modern Drama Studies and a Higher Diploma in Information Studies, from University College Dublin.
He is currently, working on his fourteenth poetry collection. He begins an M.A. in Philosophy, in 2021, which will be followed, by a Ph.D in 2023. Gavin is also, a multi-instrumentalist and has been a songwriter, composer and guitar teacher, for the past thirty-five years. He plays Classical/Spanish guitar, acoustic-electric guitar, bass guitar, jazz guitar, electric lead guitar, banjo and mandolin. He has written songs, music and lyrics, recorded albums, collaborated with many musicians and songwriters and has performed, in venues, all over Dublin.
