Pro Choice Protest in Merrion Square, Dublin 2 during the Global Day of Action for Safe and Legal Abortion last September
Irish Government Minister Unveils Monument
to Victims of Pro-Life Amendment
On a date to be confirmed,
when those who remember 1983
will sleep safely in their graves,
or be anxiously telling nurse
about the auld ones with crucifixes
they think are coming to get them
a girl, today
on holidays from primary school,
by then grown into
a Maggie Thatcher suit, will thank
the Chamber of Commerce
for use of their microphone
as a pulled chord unwraps a figure
chipped from stone
in memory
of those forced
to change trains at Crewe clutching
solitary suitcases that screamed
one night only,
those that bled out in the backs
of London taxis after journeys
made possible by post office accounts
and extra hours at the newsagent’s;
all because of a stick
which, for them, turned
the wrong colour
the wrong year
in the wrong country.
And as the Minister continues,
across the road a little girl will grab
her mother’s arm and ask:
what’s that lady saying?
Kevin Higgins
Taken from Kevin’s most recent book Song of Songs 2.0: New & Selected Poems (Salmon).
Yesterday: REPEALING
Rollingnews
A good week, US republican paedo not elected, brexit falls on it’s bottom (again), this thing and Max Clifford’s death.
And Star Wars.
Yay! :)
Abortion is indeed an apt metaphor to describe Kevin’s doggerel
Ah now. I felt bad for sniggering at that.
hahaha
– also, your flip observation is a better metaphor than Kevin has ever achieved in all of his oeuvre.
THANKS for damning me with such faint praise rob