Prayer for the Children of Longing by Paula Meehan
Context
This poem appears in Meehan’s work and addresses a particular Irish concern: the condition of longing, of desire unfulfilled or deferred, and specifically how this affects children. Ireland’s history is full of absences: emigration, economic hardship, the legacy of colonialism and repression. Meehan’s poetry often reckons with these historical and personal absences. This poem is a prayer for those shaped by longing. It is both intimate and social, personal and political.
What The Poem Does
The poem takes the form of a prayer.
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