‘Deeper’ by Katie Donovan

for Catherine Nunes

We go to the edge:
we are fresh, ready
for the lacy buffeting waves,
toes gripping shingle.

While our daughters squat on the sand
immersed in shell games,
the tide swallows our ankles,
hungers around our legs.

Eyes on the horizon as we wade,
we know that one by one,
our heads will disappear – already
we have seen our mothers drown.

We spend calm days avoiding stings,
nursing hurts, judging and forgiving
our faults. The sky is still a canopy
our faces can enjoy.

When the breakers fall, we stretch
to lift each other clear,
calling: ‘Sister, I am here –
I am still here.’

From issue #2: spring/summer 2016

About the Author
Katie Donovan has published four books of poetry with Bloodaxe, including Rootling: New and Selected Poems (2010) and Off Duty (2016). A former journalist with The Irish Times, she teaches creative writing at NUI Maynooth, and practices Amatsu (osteopathic healing).