The winner of that campaign is the next poem you will read. It is a section of a longer poem called ‘Clearances’. There are eight sections in total in ‘Clearances’, and every section has fourteen lines, often divided into eight lines followed by six lines. This structure is similar to a sonnet, which you learned about earlier, but this poem is written in free verse.
You can watch a recitation of the winning poem recorded for ‘A Poem for Ireland’ here.
Free Verse
If a poem is written in free verse, it means that it does not rhyme or have a regular rhythm. It also means that the structure of the lines is decided by the
ideas and thoughts which come into the poet’s head. A lot of modern poets like to use free verse whereas poets in the past used very measured rhythm and carefully planned rhyming schemes.
‘When all the others were away at Mass’
When all the others were away at Mass I was all hers as we peeled potatoes. They broke the silence, let fall one by one Like solder weeping off the soldering iron: Cold comforts set between us, things to share Gleaming in a bucket of clean water. And again let fall. Little pleasant splashes From each other’s work would bring us to our senses.
So while the parish priest at her bedside Went hammer and tongs at the prayers for the dying And some were responding and some crying I remembered her head bent towards my head, Her breath in mine, our fl uent dipping knives – Never closer the whole rest of our lives.
