Roisin Madden

Roisin Madden fell in love with poetry as a child, and has been writing ever since. Her work has appeared in the 24-Hour Poetry Marathon Anthology (2019), and in publications by Skyline College, Humboldt State, and NDNU. She is currently a public school teacher, and recently completed a master’s in Secondary Education.

Poem

BELFAST

I was born
In a dream city
Of grey
That soaks
Through cement and brick
That penetrates
Walls and skin
Eyes and ears
Rots teeth

I was born
In a dream city
Where the camouflage makes the gunmen stand out
And the real camo
Is everyday
And the real men
Are everyday

I was born
In a dream city
of broken glass
of shattered windows
of twisted iron
Blown outwards
of bullet holes
and ricochet marks
a stone
in the eye of an emerald

Copyright © 2020 by Roisin Madden. Used with permission of the author.