An Tuar Ceatha logo

Michael McFarland Campbell is a gay Irish poet living in Monasterevin, County Kildare, with his husband Andrew and their cats. His poems explore love, desire, faith, body confidence, and the small moments that make a shared life. An Tuar Ceatha brings this writing together in a home of its own.

A transformed perspective on self-image and confidence through fitness and personal growth.

This sleeveless shirt once stayed at home,
Unworn and out of sight;
But now I’d wear it through the town
With quite a different light.

The gym was never much my world,
Just weeks of work well done;
Yet shoulders broadened, chest filled out,
And biceps came along.

I caught myself within a glass
While passing through the street;
And saw a man who’d catch my eye,
A man I’d like to meet.

The gains are small by some accounts,
No cover-model dream;
Yet confidence has changed the way
The mirror catches gleam.

And so I laughed and shook my head,
Delighted by the view;
For if I'd passed myself just now,
I'd think, "Well... yes. I'd do."

—With thanks to Andrew for the training advice that started it all.

©

All rights reserved.

Leave a Reply