Our shells clacked on the plates.
My tongue was a filling estuary,
My palate hung with starlight:
As I tasted the salty Pleiades
Orion dipped his foot into the water.
Alive and violated
They lay on their beds of ice:
Bivalves: the split bulb
And philandering sigh of ocean.
Millions of them ripped and shucked and scattered.
We had driven to the coast
Through flowers and limestone
And there we were, toasting friendship,
Laying down a perfect memory
In the cool thatch and crockery.
Over the Alps, packed deep in hay and snow,
The Romans hauled their oysters south to Rome:
I saw damp panniers disgorge
The frond-lipped, brine-stung
Glut of privilege
And was angry that my trust could not repose
In the clear light, like poetry or freedom
Leaning in from the sea. I ate the day
Deliberately, that its tang
Might quicken me all into verb, pure verb.
~ ~ ~
Seamus Heaney, isn’t he just the best? Incredible. From his book Field Work.
[…] signed book of poetry, by my favorite poet, containing some of my favorite poems, including this one. A gift from M, when I was in grad school, and we could not afford such luxuries. But for poetry […]
[…] signed book of poetry, by my favorite poet, containing some of my favorite poems, including this one. A gift from M, when I was in grad school, and we could not afford such luxuries. But for poetry […]
[…] Sunday Morning ~ by John Stone April 14 ~ The Convergence of the Twain ~ by Thomas Hardy April 13 ~ Oysters ~ by Seamus Heaney (on his birthday!) April 12 ~ Crows ~ (nursery rhyme) April 11 ~ Some People ~ […]
[…] great writers this week. Here’s Elmore Leonard’s iconic 10 rules for writing, and a beautiful poem by Seamus Heaney. They will both be […]
[…] day” seem especially apropos as they capture the temporality of pleasure and life. Read the full poem here or watch his reading on Youtube. –Felicia […]
[…] the day” seem especially apropos as they capture the temporality of pleasure and life. Read the full poem here or watch his reading on Youtube. –Felicia […]
[…] the day” seem especially apropos as they capture the temporality of pleasure and life. Read the full poem here or watch his reading on Youtube. –Felicia […]
[…] day” seem especially apropos as they capture the temporality of pleasure and life. Read the full poem here or watch his reading on Youtube. –Felicia […]
[…] poem is all about chilling with friends, cracking open oysters and enjoying each other’s company. […]
[…] SEAMUS HEANEY / a. a. […]
[…] Seamus Heaney, “Oysters” […]
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[…] connection to the Morans The Weir, Heaney some years before gave the owners a copy of his poem, “Oysters” that was in part inspired by the restaurant. To make it more authentic, Heaney copied out this […]