In Opening Time there is a sense of a life richly lived and imaginatively examined. Time in both historical and personal terms is central to these poems that meditate on life, creation, and continuity. Delap is an experienced sailor, and the sea is ever present. The insights of a lone sailor, especially along the west coast of Ireland, are presented within a multigenerational family context and an informed historical perspective.

Sweeney

These weeks of Aprilmay spring to life
rinsed and over-rung by song.
Blackbirds are calling everywhere
in more than thirteen ways.
It cannot last. Yesterday
I dreamt glad thoughts,
but when I came to speak them,
birdsong came from my mouth.
Mine, but sweeter, more true
than any of my words.