Jane Dougherty is not doing NaNoWriMo, let’s be clear about that. But she is busy doing something else equally inspiring- spending a month in the company of W.B. Yeats and asking us to join her- each day this month Jane will pick a line from a Yeats poem and write a new poem inspired by it and wants us to join in too! Below is the link, not only to this adventure but also to her wealth of poetry and short stories and links to her own novels- there are even wormholes! https://janedougherty.wordpress.com/2017/11/01/november-yeats-challenge-day-one/
Today’s quote is: “they will ride the North when the ger-eagle flies, with heavy whitening wings, and a heart fallen cold:” —W. B. Yeats
My poem is entitled: Birth, so still
And the babies were born, broken,
while the seasons still turned, maiden
mothers moved from baring to being left
barren as cowering cloaks cut through
cords, bitter brides in black, climbing
on their crosses, splitting the sin
from the so-called sinner, discarding
the truth with the afterbirth, no grace
for the births so still, no remorse
for the innocence expunged, the girl
grown woman too soon. ‘Fly north
little ones,’ the mourning whispered,
‘take comfort in the bright star,
the North Star, freedom lies beyond
the blackened wings these withered
women wear, they have not lost
to love, they have not shivered
in the absence of that first cry.
The eagle is on the rise in the night
sky and on his feathers you will soar.’
All words by Damien B. Donnelly
Picture from the Net.
Audi version available on Soundcloud…
Damien B. Donnelly 