IRISH HISTORY
The problem with it is
there’s too much of it.
It weighs on our backs
like a sack of blighted potatoes.
It adheres to us
like meaning adheres to a sentence.
—from Rattle #79, Spring 2023
Tribute to Irish Poets
__________
Jim Feeney: “I was born in Dublin and grew up there. Dublin is a city with a long literary history but I think perhaps it’s that Dubliners need to make a remark that most informs my poetry, that need to get people’s attention to make them laugh. Which is not to say that my poems are jokes or are necessarily funny but making a remark or joke involves a compression of language and an ability to analyse a situation that is also essential in writing poetry. Of course, I don’t always succeed.” (web)
