Saturday, November 7, 2015

Homework for Monday 9 November 2015 and The White Cow of Derrynane!

So the home work for the Monday night 9 November 2015 is to choose a poem by Patrick Kavanagh and a poem by Mary Oliver and bring them to the Monday evening class to critique/ analyse.

Carolann Murphy ;)


Our very own Martin Swords had the opportunity to visit Women's Writing Group and The Poetry Group at Kenmare Arts Centre. Here is a piece written by Martin Swords that was inspired by his visit.

The White Cow of Derrynane

The White Cow stood
Silently watching
The thatch pulled to ground
The ram smash the gable down
The tears and wails of women and childer
The White Cow watched

The White Cow of Derrynane
Stood quiet hearing
The American Wake
The long journey’s start
To Cobh, to New York, one way
The White Cow saw them going

The White Cow of Derrynane
Stood quiet gazing
As the Liberation coach
Rolled roughly past driven
By hopes and well wishes
To a Parliament of promises
The White Cow watched
It return empty

The White Cow of Derrynane
Watched perplexed
A coach of black, feathered, ribboned
A Liberator, liberated
Of earthly toil unfinished
The White Cow heard the wails
The keen tears as before
The White Cow of Derrynane
Stood watching as brother
Ambushed brother both
Thinking to set the White Cow free
The White Cow needs them both
If she is to survive
But they have killed each other
The White Cow knows

The White Cow of Derrynane
Hears of messages
Words and pictures from far away
Places unknown to the White Cow
The young are gone and going
The old cannot manage not
The White Cow nor the messages
The White Cow cannot understand yet
Has seen its like before
And feels a hunger coming
To the White Cows of Derrynane

Martin Swords
Wicklow Writers
Written in Kenmare and Derrynane National Park
Sept 2015