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Poem of the Week: “A Sign” by John McAuliffe
“A Sign” by Jonn McAuliffe fits well in the poetic tradition of mushrooms—Emily Dickinson and Slyvia Plath also wrote poems about them, and so have Paul Muldoon and David Wheatley. Somewhat surprisingly, however, “A Sign” begins with an un-poetic assertion, “Nothing fanciful in their welling up from the black earth.” Almost in spite of itself, the…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “In Her Silent Cloister” by Leontia Flynn
“In Her Silent Cloister” by Leontia Flynn imagines the 12th-Century nun, writer, and philosopher Héloïse du Paraclet, possibly alluding in the final stanza to her correspondence and affair with the theologian Peter Abelard. Written from Flynn’s experience as a new mother, this poem explores a common theme in the collection Taking Liberties, asking where inner…
Continue ReadingPoems to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
With over fifty years of Irish poetry in the WFU Press catalog, you could argue that any poem we’ve published is perfect for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. But here are several of our favorites that respond to the holiday directly and indirectly, from Frank Ormsby listing “Forty Shades of Green” to Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh describing the “taste…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “Windharp” by John Montague
Windharp for Patrick Collins The sounds of Ireland, that restless whispering you never get away from, seeping out of low bushes and grass, heatherbells and fern, wrinkling bog pools, scraping tree branches, light hunting cloud, sound hounding sight, a hand ceaselessly combing and stroking the landscape, till the valley gleams like the pile upon a…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “Seasons of the Lemon House” by Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin
In her poem “Seasons of the Lemon House,” Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin explores the deep connection between the natural world, human experience, and language. The ebb and flow of light and darkness, warmth and frost, mirror the rhythms that shape our lives. With a keen eye for the interplay of interior, natural, and spiritual landscapes, Ní…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “Mischief at the Globe” by Gerard Fanning
In “Mischief at the Globe,” Gerard Fanning explores themes of mortality, the passage of time, and the ephemeral nature of human life through theatrical and natural imagery. The poem reflects on the vulnerability of the body—symbolized by a freckle—while simultaneously observing the flow of life outside the confines of the theatre. By weaving the world…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “The Elsewhere Empire” by Medbh McGuckian
Medbh McGuckian’s “The Elsewhere Empire,” from her new collection The Thankless Paths to Freedom (2024), explores the emotional and physical spaces that loss often occupies. She writes, “there is no after the war, the rain of an earlier day, / the balmy elsewhere of winglets past the flowers // in their rifles.” When a loved one…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “The Shannon Reader” by Martin Dyar
Creative genius is often characterized by “eureka!” moments of inspiration, but in “The Shannon Reader,” Martin Dyar explores the ritualistic side of the poetic process. His structure is repetitive—never straying from two-line stanzas of about equal length—just like the author in the poem’s sacred writing ritual. Her labor is not immediately fruitful, but with…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “The May Baby” by Martin Dyar
In his poem “The May Baby,” Martin Dyar draws upon vivid natural imagery to create an ode to springtime. Dyar paints the portrait of the “May girl,” who seamlessly blends into this background of honey, doves, blossoms, and herons. “The May Baby” is infused with hope, drawing upon themes of connection and community across…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “Jigsaw” by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
In her poem “Jigsaw,” Doireann Ní Ghríofa draws the reader into the physical and psychological complexities of motherhood. Using bodily descriptions and an emphasis on personal experience, Ní Ghríofa contrasts the feelings of uncertainty and anticipation that accompany sensing a baby wriggling in the womb with the settledness and comfort of a mother knowing her…
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