Memory Forest

In 2019 the wonderful Irish poet Gaynor Kane chose my oil painting "November Light" to grace the cover of her most recent poetry book, "Memory Forest".

I met Gaynor while working on the 52 Crows project in 2018, when she kindly submitted a poem, "Keening" to my blog.. The illustration for "Keening" is also reproducted in the book.

To read more about Gaynor and her work, please visit her website www.gaynor.kane.com

Gaynor Kane is supported by the arts Council of Northern Ireland.

"Memory Forest" was published by The Hedgehog Poetry Press. www.hedgehogpress.co.uk

Keening

In the centre of President's Park,

she stands, arms outstretched,

cradling a taxidermic crow

in the palms of her hands;

presenting it to the world

like a sacrifice. Black wings

murder a blue sky

then weigh down

the top branches.

Deafen the dog-walkers,

joggers and chess-players

with their screeching and cawing.

They jump from branch

to branch and then,

as quick as they arrived,

fly away; respects paid.

Reproduced with kind permission from Gaynor Kane.