My Squat Pen

A Tribute to Seamus Heaney

I want to be like Seamus Heaney,

my squat pen resting

between my finger and my thumb.

 

I long to dig for words,

to slice those sods of turf

until I see verse form from the dark earth

of my newly turned thoughts,

like those Heaney spilled in his warm, brogue narrative.

 

All day I would slog in those fields

‘til my sweat turned barren furrows full

and fed the empty parchment in my head.

 

I long to see the world

with the clarity and simplicity, he did,

use his clear sage’s eyes,

like rough farmer’s calloused hands

upon the potter’s wheel,

carving his prose from unglazed, shattered shards

so neatly planted in coloured,

polished mosaics of perfect poetry.

 

They hang raw as a fresh stripped cow’s carcass

swinging from meat hooks above the butcher’s block.

 

Words and phrases that smell of damp mud, and peat,

and the unwashed skin of honest toil,

and the smoke of many battles with the devil,

and the taste of blood

where lips have been broken

by the brutal boot of occupation.

 

02/09/22

Reviews

[D. Mansfield]

Excellent poem, I enjoyed immensely.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Many thank yous DM

[Stuart Munro]

Really good poem , , we live in words ,

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you Stuart.

[DIVYA]

until I see verse form from the dark earth
of my newly turned thoughts,

I loved the imagery here John. The entire poem is captivating. The writer you speak of is so incredibly gifted. Some people just have beautiful minds. This is a special poem.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Heaney is one of my favourites Divya. Thank you so much.

[W. Barrett Munn]

Well, with this gem you give Seamus a run for his money. I read what for me was a valuable and memorable quote from poet Thomas Lux who said writing poetically and writing poetry are two different things and you can’t write poetry until you understand that.
You have written poetry.

Winston

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Coming from you WBM that is such a humbling comment. I am grateful, many thanks.

[Maximus]

Truly a masterpiece that delivers a deep message and it is very well written with suitable and lusty words. I loved going through this poem.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you so much Maximus, so glad you enjoyed it.

[Patricia]

this is wonderful, Love Heaney as well. Great lines and word choices, beautiful imagery with thought and feeling! Very enjoyable.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you Patricia, I wish I could find his way of conveying down to earth things.

[Soren]

A poem as raw as the "stripped cow's carcass" that it offers. It is full of lusty emotion and grit. Very nicely done.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you Soren.

[Lydia Shutter]

'carving his prose from unglazed, shattered shards; so neatly planted in coloured; polished mosaics of perfect poetry' No need for you to emulate Seamus Heaney....you have a style all your own and it is great. The imagery you employ is super. You have penned a tribute to Heaney that he would be proud of. Well done. Lydi**

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you so much Lydi

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

“Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I’ll dig with it.”
You do poetic justice to the work and history of Seamus Heaney with your excellent write here John. Your words read and smell of the inspiration of the soil, as did his. Writing is like reaping thoughts, ideas, images- close to the fertile land of our living roots. We simply dig, and hope…. Well done.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you so much Annette

[NormaZ]

Wow, wow, wow, a beautiful poem. I love the imagery, the metaphor of working the earth and creativity is wonderful. I heard someone say once to put all your ideas, pictures, songs, what have you, in the compost of your brain, and see what grows.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you so much Norma. I love Heaney's ability to describe sounds and smells and convey the scene to the reader. he did so with alacrity, wheras I have to dig for it lol!