Buried in a cliff
on Rathlin island
there is a hole
and in the hole
we found a skull
and in the skull
there was a clutch
of periwinkle shells.
And with the skull
in the hole
at the sea cliff
on Rathlin’s edge
someone had placed
the bones and beaks
of seven great auks.
Jane Robinson’s collections, Journey to the Sleeping Whale (Salmon, 2018) and Island and Atoll (Salmon, 2023), as well as other poems and essays, reflect her deep ecological awareness. With a doctorate in biology from Caltech, she is also a recipient of the Shine-Strong and Strokestown Poetry awards.
on Rathlin island
there is a hole
and in the hole
we found a skull
and in the skull
there was a clutch
of periwinkle shells.
And with the skull
in the hole
at the sea cliff
on Rathlin’s edge
someone had placed
the bones and beaks
of seven great auks.
Jane Robinson’s collections, Journey to the Sleeping Whale (Salmon, 2018) and Island and Atoll (Salmon, 2023), as well as other poems and essays, reflect her deep ecological awareness. With a doctorate in biology from Caltech, she is also a recipient of the Shine-Strong and Strokestown Poetry awards.
