Pig-slayer-
the allotted
man who butchered the village pigs for winter food.
Named after an Angel
Michael has blue twinkling eyes under bushy brows
owns a broad bladed knife
he carries in a thong tied leather scabbard
His long boned freckled hands hold
his stained brown hat
beige mackintosh (coat) flaps
around his tall frame when he limps
Favours an up-ended barn door
as an abattoir bench
the shackled animal tied by ropes
screams to the wind
Meticulous rasping
as steel kisses
stone
blood curdling screeches
echo
the morning is ended
as butcher spits into the ditch
he regrets not marrying.
Fishmongers’
Elegy-
The end of licensed street trade in fish
Morning found him setting out
his stall, space allotted
unpacking
his wares
touching
with love
his
Pedigree pram
the
nursery
cot of Kings.
Smells
of the sea reach his nostrils
his
face the colour of decline
pale
silver hairs push out against the light
forty
years have flown by
peddling
his fish.
The
Municipality has called time
on
the street trader’s lot
lament
to the smelly cot as
morsels
feed the scrawny cats
gutters
suck up the leavings
at
the end of day
the
opera of the gulls
still
at play.
Farewell
fishmonger
your time has come
do
not linger any longer
your
scent is called home
to
slumber on your pillow
and
express sweet nothings to
your
demure wife
time has declared you
null
and void
your
cot no match
for
the processing ships out at sea
you’ve been ambushed
by bureaucratic stamp
a
casualty not recorded
buried in a paper sea.
Margaret Kiernan writes fiction, non-fiction essay, memoir, and poetry. She has had poetry and prose published in e-book, in anthology collections, and literary journals and magazines - including, Black-lion Press, Pendemic.ie journal-C19 collection , archived at University College Dublin, The Blue Nib Lit-Journal, The Write Life Magazine, Unity Global Festival, Vox Galvia at the Galway Advertiser, A New Ulster Literary Press, The Burrow Lit. Journal, Poet-Head.Wordpress.com, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, The Galway Review and The Irish Canadian Cultural Newsmagazine, New Brunswick.
She writes with Over the Edge, Thursday writing/reading group at Galway Arts Centre, and, Ox Mountain Poets, Sligo.
She is listed in the Index of Contemporary Women Poets in Ireland, 2020.
She holds several Educational qualifications, Including a Degree in Arts in Humanities, from Sligo IT.
Her background is in Advocacy in Human and Social Rights.
Margaret has completed numerous courses and workshops in writing, for prose and poetry.
Tutors in poetry includes, Annemarie Ni Churainn, Martin Dyer, Colm Keegan, Monica Corish, Moyra Donaldson, Noel Monahan, Kevin Higgins.
Tutors in prose includes, Claire Allan, Anne McMaster, Conor Kostick, Carlo Gebler, Malacai O’Doherty, Jan Carson, Ciara Doorley.
Margaret has four grown-up children. She lives in Westmeath with her dog Molly. She is a landscape painter. Is into Nature, walking, gardening, music, and heritage. She is working towards a First collection in Poetry.
Social Media-
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/margaretgibbonskiernan/@kiernanmargaret
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/margaretkiernan
LinkedIn: http://linkedIn.com/in/margaretkiernan
Facebook: http://facebook.com/margaret.kiernan
No comments:
Post a Comment