Thank you for coming through the door. I welcome you to this home of my poetry and art. I share this collection in the hope it brings you healing and joy, as it has brought me.

I was born in County Donegal. I lived with my parents, my grandmother, my two sisters and two brothers. We had a burn (small river) running by our home. From this burn we carried water daily, for bathing, for boiling and for washing our clothes. We washed our potatoes and vegetables there. Whenever possible, we would play in the burn and roam the fields, losing or perhaps finding ourselves in this natural world of plant and flower spirits, of water, stone and tree spirits.

Looking back on childhood probably holds joyful and painful memories for us all. For me, nature provided both beauty and sanctuary. Affinity with nature is one of the ways inspiring my poetry and art. Through inspiration, poems and art just came, arriving as guests do. They appeared from some place else, some other realm or source. Such connection has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and for this I feel the deepest gratitude and love. I have no one word for this other world. In the poems, I may call it The Divine, Spirit, God, The Source… Without this connection, there would exist no poetry, art or me.

My poetry and art transport me into places of revelation, perspective and connection. Often their presence opens and uplifts me. Through them, I experience appreciation and gratitude for the simple joys of life. Other times, they carry me into difficult places in myself in need of care, love and attention. Poetry and art bring me home and back into balance when I’m feeling afraid and unassured in the world, offering me a quiet space to listen deeply beyond the outside din. Poetry is my refuge and my doorway to heal.

I’ve always been in search of ‘Home’, home within myself, home in the spaces outside of me, my shelter. Creating home is a life long passion of mine. As a young woman living in a box room in London, I learned to see home-making as an invitation to listen to myself and to the space. Through this way of connecting, I came to see home-creation as a co-operative process, a relationship which is alive, organic and evolving. A corner or a small table in a cosy single room could become a complete and whole supporting home in itself: a space to light a candle, to bring in some gifts from nature, be it a fresh Spring flower, coloured Autumn leaf, a poem, an image, a postcard, a quote that evoked a smile or inspired. These elements were beauty and earth enough to provide home for me and bring me home to myself.

Most homes have many rooms, each with its own specific design and function. This book has various rooms with their own special energies and themes. Before entering each room, I offer a short introduction which, I hope, helps you know a little about the room and also a little about me. In every room, there lives some art; this art often inspired a poem and sometimes a poem inspired the art.

I hope you enjoy.

Cecelia Kee Glenane