The Joys of a Second Rattle at Life

The Joys of a Second Rattle at Life by William Tiernan is the author’s third volume of poetry and, arguably, his most ambitious to date. Whether addressing himself to issues such as pandemics or the war in Ukraine, to more universal themes of redemption and rebirth, battles of the body and the bullying of the mind, Tiernan’s observations go straight to the human heart, breaking down the distance between what is right from what is wrong, conveying it all in his unique and inimitable lyrical style, conveyed here by just a few excerpts from his poetry, chosen at random:

Mine is a hard hammering against the wall of flame.
The demon we must come to terms with and tame.

A new day brings a new, raw hunger and thirst.

I must give the world my poem and my word,
Without having to fall on my sword.

The heart can be touched by crying,
But the soul knows not of dying.

It's smiles we give and tears we fall.
We belong to the universal call.

I’m sick and tired of war and dying.
Sick and tired of hunger and homelessness crying.

I'm into me and I’m the whole world's lover,
And I know there are many mysterious things to discover.

The road less travelled is the road best left behind
And the better one, perhaps, is the one we've yet to find.

Existence is forever so short
But life, at times, too long.

Old fashioned I might be, but most of the poetry nowadays doesn't turn me on. I like the stuff to rhyme, while this thing of survival gets on my bloody nerves.

About the Author

William Tiernan is an Irish poet and author who resides in rural Galway, close to the Roscommon border. His writings reflect his personal experiences and convictions as well as strong ties to the community in which he lives, his identification with the place where he grew up.

Three collections of poetry have been published to date: Greetings from Guilka, Ballymoe: Poems from the Head and the Heart (2016), Bluesy Ballymoe: Pulse and Hearts above Zero (2018) and The Joys of a Second Rattle at Life (2022).

In 2014, he was National Winner in the poetry category at the Hanna Greally International Literary Awards, organised as part of the annual SiarScéal Festival in Co. Roscommon.