Michael Hartnett
Poem of the Week: “That Actor Kiss” by Michael Hartnett
I kissed my father as he lay in bed
in the ward. Nurses walked on soles of sleep
and old men argued with themselves all day.
The seven decades locked inside his head
congealed into a timeless leaking heap,
the painter lost his sense of all but grey.
Poem of the Week: “The Poet as Black Sheep” by Michael Hartnett
I have seen him dine
in middle-class surroundings,
his manners refined,
as his family around him
talk about nothing,
one of their favourite theses.
Poem of the Week: “A Visit to Croom, 1745” by Michael Hartnett
The thatch dripped soot,
the sun was silver
because the sky
from ruts of mud to high blaze
was water.
Happy Birthday to Michael Hartnett and Poem of the Week
There will be a talking of lovely things,
there will be cognizance of the seasons,
there will be men who know the flights of birds.
Poem of the Week: “Poem for Lara, 10” by Michael Hartnett
There is something powerful in offering a blessing to another person; the Irish are especially aware of that. In “Poem for Lara, 10,” Michael Hartnett uses the beauty of the natural world to bless the beautifully innocent spirit of a young girl. The imagery and the sentiment feel touchingly apt as the seasons begin to change.
Continue ReadingÉigse Festival Honors Michael Hartnett
This year’s Éigse Michael Hartnett Literary and Arts festival is coming up soon—April 25 through April 27. This will be the 13th annual event, which began in 2000 after Michael Hartnett’s death the previous year. Held in Newcastle West, County Limerick, various events over the course of the weekend will take place in schools, pubs,…
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