Matt Mooney. Born in Kilchreest, Loughrea, Co. Galway in 1943, he has lived in Listowel since 1966. His first book of poetry ‘Droving’ was published in 2003 and this was followed in 2010 by Falling Apples’. His third collection ‘Earth to Earth’ was published by Galway Academic Press in 2015. His poems have appeared in ‘Feasta’, ‘West 47’ , ‘First Cut’ ,The Applicant’, The Kerryman, The Connaught Tribune, Peann agus Pár and The Galway Review.
Orphans of Aleppo
I had a dream last night
of children – little fugitives,
refugees from Syria –
abandoned and bombed out,
crawling in a quest
for families they lost
like newly weaned lambs;
survivors of lethal waves
in overcrowded dinghies;
after the human chaos
then the frozen fear,
following urban air raids,
of those left alive
in honeycombs of horror;
and now they seek a lap
on which to lay their heads,
the orphans of Aleppo.
October 2016
The Galway Review 
Brilliantly-written!
Thanks Sofia.
CHRISTMAS
A TIME FOR DYING
For most a time of joy
Christmas trees bright, spirits high
Two lay waiting for death
For one an end to misery long endured
Surrounded by friends and loved
The other so young and small
Doctor’s say has no chance at all
Surrounded by friends and loved
My heart goes out to both
One now happy to be gone
The other also
To both families I send my prayers and love
It is all that I can give
To hearts breaking with sorrow
Hoping that the future will bring happier times.
Michael O Meara
Thanks Michael for that nice poem of yours. ‘The other so young and small’- very evocative and relevant to ‘Orphans of Aleppo’.