Jimi McKillop is a poet originally from Northern Ireland who now resides in County Louth. He has a forthcoming collection of one hundred poems ready for print, drawing inspiration from the landscapes and histories of both regions. His verses explore memory, identity, and the subtle rhythms of everyday life, blending lyrical observation with a keen ear for the cadences of speech. Rooted in Irish tradition, McKillop’s work offers readers a reflective voice that captures both personal and communal experiences.
A quiet death?
Death comes sometimes quiet
and sometimes full of noise,
sometimes it comes
for aging bones
and sometimes
for young girls and boys,
sometimes they’re
mangled corpses
sometimes beautiful
and seemingly unscathed,
nevertheless, the fact remains
no life can ever be saved,
‘no-one here gets out alive’
as Morrison rightly said,
your troubles are trivial
while you’re here
but even more so
when you’re dead.
Disconnected
Humanity
can be beautiful
but full of disconnect,
humanity
can be empathetic
with equal parts neglect,
humanity has the solution
for starvation
oppression and cancer,
humanity sometimes appears
in the form
of a well-dressed chancer,
yet humanity holds the key
that unlocks all our
ill at ease,
we just need to
get connected
to each other please.
Men of influence
It was Bruce Lee
who first excited me, as a child,
then came James Dean
to add some sheen
to my teenage identity,
of course there was Pink Floyd
who toyed with my imagination
and filled a void
until Morrison came along
with his poetry and songs,
there was Shakespeare
and Bob Dylan & mad Dylan Thomas
with his chaotic
rhyme without reason
and let’s not forget Vivaldi
and his four seasons,
and my man Henry Miller
and beguiling Bill Hicks
the laughter filler,
there was Steve McQueen
and his cool machines,
and Pablo Picasso
painting from his dreams,
and of course there was
Charlie Bukowski
the busted ugly sage
hanging on the fringes,
unhinged, but with a soul
that bled on to the page.
Unconfined love
My love for you
will not die
when I depart
this world,
it will be hurled
into the ether
and remain there
observing you
fervently
and frenetically
it will find its way
into the rain drops
that fall on you,
into the rays of light
that stimulate your eyes,
my love is the will
that I bequeath
and will assemble
in the vapours
that you breathe,
and will be engraved
in the ground
that you walk upon,
my love is limitless
it goes on and on
and it cannot
be contained.
Under the influence
We are under the influence
of life and death,
under the influence
of each taken breath,
under the influence
of the climate’s mood,
and under the influence
of bad and good,
we’re under the influence
of hunger and greed
and under the influence
of time’s lightning speed,
under the influence
of microscopic germs
under the influence
of the coffin worms,
under the influence
of our communications
under the influence
of all our relations,
under the influence
of our verbal transmissions
we’re under the influence
of our quaint superstitions,
under the influence
of state control,
and under the influence
of our butchered souls.
What is freedom?
What is freedom,
and where is it found,
perhaps only in a dream
or deep underground,
or is it if we’ve managed
to avoid the poverty trap
and can afford to
buy lots of
meaningless crap,
or is it if we’re devoid
of a lofty ambition
or if we can truly comprehend
our current condition?
well, the answer is this
and it’s no lie,
we’re about as free as a bird
that cannot fly.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Jimi McKillop’s verses resonate with a quiet strength that feels both personal and universally Irish. Drawing from the landscapes and histories of Northern Ireland and County Louth, he weaves memory, identity, and the everyday rhythms of life into language that is lyrical yet grounded in the cadences of speech. Poems such as “A quiet death?” confront mortality with stark honesty while echoing Jim Morrison’s reminder that “no one here gets out alive,” turning a sobering truth into a meditation on what truly matters. “Disconnected” captures the paradox of humanity—our capacity for empathy alongside our tendency toward neglect—urging us to reconnect. In “Men of influence,” McKillop maps a youthful pantheon of cultural icons, from Bruce Lee to Henry Miller, showing how art and rebellion shape identity. The tender “Unconfined love” imagines affection persisting beyond the body, scattered in rain, light, breath, and earth, suggesting a love that is both limitless and intimately woven into the world. Finally, “What is freedom?” poses a probing question, ending with the poignant image of a bird that cannot fly, inviting readers to reconsider liberty’s true shape. Throughout, McKillop balances observation with emotion, offering a reflective voice that honours tradition while speaking fresh, contemporary truths.
– THE GALWAY REVIEW
The Galway Review 