IRISH-IN-UK-L Archives

From: "Jean R." <>
Subject: [Irish-in-UK] "Inventory" -- Maureen CHARLTON (contemp.)
Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:30:39 -0800

INVENTORY

To have lived this long
and not known every name of bird
in the dawn chorus;
which birds migrate, which stay,
starling, chaffinch, robin,
swallow, skylark, crow
nightingale and lark,
I know from Shakespeare,
not from nature.

It is the same with flowers:
cowslips, daisies, bluebells,
primroses, wallflowers, roses --
that's the height of it.
As for amaryllis --
I first heard of it
in 'Lycidas.'
Shame on me to not know
the name of every bird
and flower and tree.

For the trees I know best,
in childhood I harvested,
chestnuts for conkers,
green bitter walnuts
and hazelnuts.
As for the tree
outside my window,
a weeping ash,
I know it wants to go
wild again.

-- Maureen Charlton, "Extended Wings 5," Rathmines Writers (Swan Press,
Dublin 2004).

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• [Irish-in-UK] "Inventory" -- Maureen CHARLTON (contemp.) by "Jean R." <>