You can see a lot from the hill, the grey breadth
of the factory, its red lights, always on.
And other hills beyond this one, where the earth
is also red. I remember flying over a blue
lake. It could have been the last thing I saw
or the image I returned to after something else
occurred. The water in the lake
behaves in a similar way, it warms in summer
while its layers grow cool, no hidden currents
just the wind in the clear.
It has a cold mind, like the mind flying over –
empty of earthly things. I know the grey smoke
makes it difficult to breathe, in small ways
I don’t yet recognise. In summer the leaves
hide much of the grey — small particles
are still borne on the air. I’m ashamed of this
but tell no one — I can hold my breath
when it matters most.
Leeanne Quinn has published two poetry collections, Before You (2012) and Some Lives (2020). She co-edited Romance Options, an anthology of contemporary love poems from Ireland (Dedalus Press, 2022) and, more recently, edited Beginnings Over and Over: Four New Poets from Ireland (Dedalus Press, April 2025)
of the factory, its red lights, always on.
And other hills beyond this one, where the earth
is also red. I remember flying over a blue
lake. It could have been the last thing I saw
or the image I returned to after something else
occurred. The water in the lake
behaves in a similar way, it warms in summer
while its layers grow cool, no hidden currents
just the wind in the clear.
It has a cold mind, like the mind flying over –
empty of earthly things. I know the grey smoke
makes it difficult to breathe, in small ways
I don’t yet recognise. In summer the leaves
hide much of the grey — small particles
are still borne on the air. I’m ashamed of this
but tell no one — I can hold my breath
when it matters most.
Leeanne Quinn has published two poetry collections, Before You (2012) and Some Lives (2020). She co-edited Romance Options, an anthology of contemporary love poems from Ireland (Dedalus Press, 2022) and, more recently, edited Beginnings Over and Over: Four New Poets from Ireland (Dedalus Press, April 2025)
