Charles Wymes is from Skerries but has spent most of his life living in Dalkey. He worked as a Stained Glass Artist since graduating from Art College. He illustrated and conceived a trilogy of books for the Outside Press entitled ‘Wannsee/Ghetto A-Z/Berlin 1990. The Latter, Berlin 1990, is autobiographical.
Poetry has been his love since he was introduced to Patrick Kavanagh’s work, when in Primary School.

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The howling and the silent

Walking over the railway bridge
I heard a woman howling.
It wasn’t the Electric train below,
That just zipped and clattered.

I came to the source
A convalescent home
And her wailing flowed
From a window with flowers.

I’d heard this before
In a haunted Victorian madhouse
Where I lived for a while
With blue eyed bearded drunks

But I could do nothing then
No, nothing now either
Except say a prayer silently
For the howling and the silent.

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Sorrento Park

Empirical emphasis on scent
For the fog made all white smoke
But the earth, trees, leaves,
Wicklow Dublin sea’s,
Gave fragrance.

Sorrento Terrace
Wore white Lace
While Dalkey Island
Wove Aran patterns
Billowing muffled knots.

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Heart Lake

We came to a lake called Love,
From high peak it fell from above
To a black below

When a Fairy Hare
Danced before my dogs eyes
And courted to drag us over.

The Belgian Shepherd chased
The spirit of the little folk
And I to Shostakovitch waltzed,

We three moved with sympathy
I cried, “let her be”
But we were nearly over emptiness.

Then the dogs teeth
Caught the springing spirit
Shook, and we were saved.

Breathless, I Took the Hare
And laid her on the heather,
Then we retreated from the heart.

Returning, I found a woodline trail,
A path of womanless plain
And ne’er would I seek again

A peak of Love
Nor a cliff of pain
Nor the Dublin to Carrick train.