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Thursday, May 28, 2020

"Death of an Irishwoman"

Ignorant,
 in a sense
she ate monotonous food
and thought the world was flat,
and pagan, in the sense
she knew the things that moved
at night were neither dogs nor cats
but pukas and dark-faced men.
she nevertheless had fierce Pride.
But sentenced in the end
to eat thin diminishing porridge
in a stone-cold kitchen
she clenched her brittle hands
around a world she could not understand.
I loved her from the day she died.
She was a summer dance at the crossroads.
She was a card game where a nose was broken.
She was a song that nobody sings.
She was a house ransacked by soldiers.
She was a Language seldom spoken.
She was a child's purse
 full of useless things.


Michael Hartnett
(1944-1999)
Limerick
Ireland

~ Beannaichte'
 28 May, 2020 


~ Covid-19

beannaichte@twitter.com

3 comments:

  1. ~Born in County Limerick, Michael Hartnett lived in Dublin for many years. His body of work is far too vast to mention in its entirety, here. Some of his offerings include a translation of the 'Selected Poems of Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill'. He co-wrote a play,'An Lasair Choille', with Caitlin Maude and was co-editor, with James Liddy and Liam O'Connor, of 'Arena' and, with Desmond Egan, of 'Choice'. He was also poetry editor of the 'Irish Times' and a recipient of an American Fund Literary Award.

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  2. A very talented man, it would seem! :-)))

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  3. Yes, Jan. Talented, indeed. Thank you, for your visit, and you willingness to leave a comment. I appreciate you, dear friend. ~ Beannaichte'! Alicia

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