Gary Devenney - Issue 34

Gary Devenney is a poet whose journey with spoken word began during lockdown.Though life pulled him away from poetry, he found his way back to the page after the heartbreaking loss of his partner, Fiona, to whom he dedicates all his writing. His work delves into love, grief, and mental health, weaving raw emotion with the influence of Dermot Kennedy’s poetic intensity. Beyond poetry, he is the Head of Football Development, an avid reader of psychology, philosophy, and romantic fiction, and finds solace in long walks along the North Coast of Northern Ireland—especially Portstewart Strand, his safe haven.

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the unloved

part of my heart 

remained so

through trial runs 

and short flings

walks by the sea

holidays beyond these shores

never filled 

never

opened

I wonder how it survived 

those flutters before

butterflies

rising in my veins 

stirring blood

rushing to every chamber

still

each wave

broke against my heartache

storm defences built

by broken hope

until

 she stepped in

to that

lonely hollow hole

filled it

with strands of ginger hair

and a smile that could catch the still air

gently

weaving her finger prints

into untouched walls

smoothing over creases 

erasing

names

 etched in pen 

replaced with lipstick marks 

on collarbone thoughts

repositioned the couch 

new flowers

in a vase 

cleaned

the floors

pulled back the curtains,

released a tsunami of light

yes

I can say

 without question,

she loved me hard