BLOOMSDAY Reading at St. Anne's Church, Dawson St. At the poetry reading you are sensitive to the unclear sounds, the untrained voices. Your ear never hears the writer's words; instead you become edgy and agitated. Before the first half you are gone in search of your own voice, and never ending dreams. I stay to listen, absorb all the words, follow the stories, and feel inebriated by this new writing. Traditional music fills the old Church here in Dawson St, with flowing melodies. A beat of feet balances the sweetness of sound with the way words, placed in a new order, lighten up our consciousness, give meaning to our lives. If only you would curb your critical ear, listen with your heart. -- 'Bloomsday,' from "The Road to Gowel," Swan Press/2000. Mary Guckian, born on a farm in Kiltoghert, Leitrim, now resides in Dublin.