My Essay writing class has been working on writing explications. For the first few assignments students were free to choose which pieces their would explicate. This week they were to work on either Psalm 1, or a poem called ‘Peace Wall’. If you are choosing to use Peace Wall you will probably need to google and get some basics about the conflict in Northern Ireland as that provides the background for the poem. Apologies, due to illness this wasn’t up earlier in the week.
Peace Wall by Tim Bagdanov
Hail Mary - where a passing bus
swirls gutter leaves to air;
and where shards of brick and glass
are spread over gravel like un-
answered prayers. Here,
one avoids windows by night
and herds kids to bed
through bleating sirens.
Full of Grace - over there
is a park where no children
play, spine of cement
and barbed wire down the center.
Here, rosary beads are never
innocuous; they scream and wriggle
out prayers of their own. Here,
it is never known when Peace
will be shattered with a yell
and the yellow stare
of a tiger.
