Pillowcases and sheets, an underblanket and telephone

by Ann Heffernan

Pillowcases and sheets, an underblanket and telephone
Some of those whose names I can recollect.
A member of Cumann na mBan
The enemy forces never knew what to expect.
This phone was in contact with a
Morse sounder and messages were read
off the bells of the phone
A listening-in station was established
Messages came through a world
in monochrome
Cartoon picture arrives in my head
two large stone circles
painted white.

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.