William Wall is from Cork, and is currently serving as his home county's first Poet Laureate. An initiative of the Munster Literature Centre that is funded by Cork City Council, Wall writes a poem every month, providing a personal response to issues in the city and county. The Irish Examiner publishes these poems in the first week of every month, and the works will also be collected into a chapbook to be launched at next year’s Cork World Book Festival. Strike the grey sea and flyOn the Olympic gold medal in rowingAugust 2021‘See how much my ships excel all others, and what magnificent oarsmen my sailors are.’- Homer, The Odysseyoars are wings over waterbound to their thole pinsby twisted strips of leatherstrike the grey sea and flypray with your oars at restconsult the oracle for hopemake hecatombs for the beststrike the grey sea and flywe have been away so longno one will know usbut our names will be songsstrike the grey sea and flylook neither left nor rightthe sweet blade cuts cleanfeathered in flightstrike the grey sea and flythink of the river Ilenstill glass between banksdownstream to Sherkinstrike the grey sea and flyfrom Germany and Italythey come but to chaseDonovan and McCarthystrike the grey sea and flya great capstone of cloudon fields of greening goldthe hills throw back the crystrike the grey sea and fly

Source: Irish Examiner September 01, 2021 01:18 UTC