La mia cosa preferita che ho studiato nel curriculum nazionale (Heaney – Lightenings viii)

I could write about the words or the imagery but instead I’ll tell you how it makes me feel. It feels, and there is really no more appropriate word, luminous. Like the words are so carefully selected that you can almost see these monks peering at the spectacle in their little stone cells. It’s so short, a beautiful little story told without rambling or waste. The physical sensation of reading something like this is like taking a deep breath, expanding your lungs and feeling the stretch of life in your body. I can’t explain it. It’s just how it makes me feel.

Heaney’s poems were very detailed and very special. Not massively into poetry but a lot of his are very thought provoking even know years after doing my LC! 🤣

Lovely poem. The last three lines are embroidered in a tapestry over the security entrance in Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport.

I love how the monks are witnessing something impossible, but are still present enough to jump into action and help the otherworldy apparition that’s stuck in their prayer hall