Happy Birthday! Brendan Kennelly. One of our greatest living poets is 75 this weekend. To No One is one of my favourite poems from Kennelly’s 1995 collection Poetry My Arse. Kennelly, a native of North Kerry, was Professor of English Literature at Trinity College in Dublin. He is seen as the maverick of modern Irish poetry as he often writes in an informal or street style and shuns any form of pretention. To No One sums up his style for me – but feel free buy any one of his 24 poetry books or have a listen HERE
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To No One
Her husband passed on the street outside.
She watched, said softly to no one:
‘The things you’d see passin’ the window
When you wouldn’t have a gun.’
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Brendan Kennelly