Wormley

Circles : Again, Ian's experience given voice by McGuiness. The two personalities blend so imperceptibly that it is hard to pull them apart. That is no accident, as McGuiness dwells on spirit. Two men of one spirit are not divisible. Promises and duties not honored are counted on the stars as infinite tally stones accumulated over vast quantities of time through deceit and stalling. Only violence has possibilities if the process is circular and self serving. One message comes through from the totality of the works, an ominous one: A truce is a weapon of the oppressor. Revolution cannot permit the oppressor even a moment of solace or rejuvenation. The Russian revolutionaries were so convinced that the royal line would eventually get back, as they always had, that they did not stop with killing those in Russia. They set hit squads to kill those in the line that fled Russia, regardless of where they were. This, perhaps, brutal characteristic is what has been missing in the Irish attempts to free themselves. They muster one nasty act then sit back to see if the British will say, "Gee. Maybe we ought to let them alone." The American revolution was a military operation that required British absence to be terminated, not truces for discussions that might eventually lead to peace. This concept permeates McGuiness poetry. Carry : The true measure of a man is valor and willingness to act, according to McGuiness. Here, a 'disabled' man proves equality of spirit, short of means. In this case, the means is a woman who sees the man as a man. A woman allows his attainment of self image. Shells : In old shell fragments on the beach, memories are evoked which portray solitary efforts which failed against much greater forces. Yet, efforts collectively may rise above impossibility. To that end, the wise thing is to not suffer in silence but organize. Hints to Brithim and general public outrage are inherent in the imagery.