A Change in the Air by Jane Clarke

Author:Jane Clarke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloodaxe Books

a firebreak through conifersa granite-lintelled sheep creep

a butter patha footbridge over a burn

two breeze blocks and a plankrailway sleepers laid in a bog

Flight

Shove over the bolt, douse the lamps,

lie down on the kitchen floor,

her quiet father shouted

when he saw five men march

through the farmyard to the door.

He knew them from the fairs;

they’d chat about the weather,

the price of weanlings and heifers.

Let them not set the house alight,

her mother wept.

They don’t want to harm us,

only to warn us,

her father shushed as bullets split

the shutters, splintered mirrors,

lodged in whitewashed walls.

They lay on the flagstones till dawn,

curled into each other; a smidgeon

of warmth from the stove.

Next day, neighbours helped them

empty the house and load two carts;

clothes thrown into baskets,

mattresses, blankets, rugs, cups and saucers

wrapped in tea towels, a can of milk,

gifts of cabbage and soda bread.

Sure you’ll be back, they said,

when these troubles are settled.

Her father checked the harness, lifted her

up between her sisters, and tucked them in

with a blanket, the family bible at their feet.

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