Miracles Become Monsters

“‘Send me your miracles and your monsters. Send me your plucked-out eyes and the pungent perfume of your spent loins. Hold me in the jaws of your slavering mouse…’ We look at the same words and see such different things, but within this collection we see the same intricate ideas Kirwan is known for, the same dark passion he has always had burning within him. I see a poet with more punk in him than he thinks, more soul in him than he knows, and more understanding of the human condition than most people. ‘I am here,’ says Kirwan. ‘I have always been here.’ The world has always been around us, both calm and nebulous, and it is up to us to decide how to view it. What colour glasses to wear. Kirwan’s poems are so vibrantly honest there’s no time to put on shades. His poems concoct a vision of him standing in the mirror, bloodied palms facing outwards, unable to wash his hands nor let them hang idly by his sides. This is his truth.” - Claire Fitzpatrick, author, poet, journalist

“Depths of wisdom and humour encapsulated within the razor-sharp bite of satire. Kirwan’s best collection yet, and his most heartfelt.” - Anthony J. Langford, author, poet, film-maker

“If one were to rip into the wretched carcass of life and tear out its palpitating heart, what would one do with it? What would one discern its owner was doing, directly prior to such a calamitous outcome? The Miracle was picking wild flowers in a mine field and inevitably took a fatal misstep. The Monster cared not a whit for the hearts of those he mercilessly devoured. This conceptual anthology of poetry is heartfelt, sincere and, most of all, fearless. Kirwan navigates treacherous territory daringly, and sensitive ground with an expression of pathos and calm unique to himself. If there is one poetry collection that you are going to treat yourself to this year, this is it.” - Andrew Coote, visual artist and poet