Privilege
He was his bright and old dishevelled self
attending cattle. I told him I was worried
that perhaps some local people had been dumping
stuff and burning on his beach.
He hesitated and I felt my meanness.
There was a little unfamiliar stoppage
in his speech. It’s me, he said, we live here
and we’ve always had that privilege.
The next high tide will see to it
but don’t be telling anybody else.
A big fridge freezer came last year from Scotland
he points to reassure me it returned within the week.
He looks more stooped than ever as he moves
to feed his cats, the marmalade will only drink seawater.
He waves and rushes on now when we meet.
Poetry Ireland Review Issue 134 – Sold out:
Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, William Keohane, Gabriel Rosenstock, Alvy Carragher, Greta Stoddart, and Ciaran Berry are just some of the poets publishing new work in Poetry Ireland Review 134, edited by Colette Bryce. The issue also contains reviews of 18 recent titles, including the latest from Michael Longley, Martina Evans, Rachel Long, Supriya Kaur Dhaliwal, Matthew Rice, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, and Moya Cannon's Collected Poems.
Tríona Ní Shíocháin contributes an essay, 'Foremothers', a revelatory account of a "hidden history ... of women’s oral poetic traditions", excerpted from A History of Irish Women's Poetry; Ben Keatinge looks at the sonnet – a form defined by Harry Clifton in Trumpet 8 as the 'pocket masterpiece' – from an Irish perspective; and Tom French pays tribute to the late and great Belfast maestro, Ciaran Carson.
'Singles Archive' is the title of the cover image, by Colin Martin, who provides all of the superb artwork for this issue of Poetry Ireland Review.