Spirit Eyes

In Mount Cargill a poem in Maurice Whelans book Excaliburs Return he described running up Mount Cargill in New Zealand with Richard ONeill-Dean to whom that volume was dedicated. Richard responded to Maurices latest collection Spirit Eyes with a poem of his own after discussing how Maurice sets about crafting a poem and the importance he attaches to a central thought or idea upon which the poem is constructed.Shipwrightfor Maurice Whelan poetHe might look out the odd plank let it season slowly covered from the rain so that frames ribs stringers in the imagination slowly form the particular twist or warp or grainof a thoughtfavouring the idea of a hull sensitive to wind and wave to keep out storms to manage strains.But beyond all the keelson massive strong it must permit of no bend take long keel-bolts going down through heartwood to fasten the lead weightof a real thought many tons to keep a good poem upright and carrying on tied in tight to bindall between the sweet linesof its stem and stern to make a fine entry to set its wakeupon the oceansof the mind