Strange Days

by Fiona Smith

Unusual activity in Comhola, Kealkil.
Bantry, Glengariff, Kilcrohane.
Posts sniped at, raids carried out.
A listening-in station set up.
The Beara Princess pirated at sea,
Vickery’s Hotel burnt to the ground.
Gelignite found with tinned fish,
socks, a telephone hidden in sheets.
A stone circle covered over in grass,
another – the decoy – painted white.
All done with efficiency, panache.
The enemy constantly surprised.

Reproduced with kind permission of the author. This poem was composed in Poetry as Commemoration workshops held at Bantry Literary Festival in July 2023. The workshops were led by writer Thomas McCarthy.