Jean Bleakney is a Northern Irish poet whose work engages deeply with the natural world, as well as themes such as memory and urban life. Since her debut collection, The Ripple Tank Experiment, was published in 1999, Bleakney has become one of the most respected poets in Northern Ireland.
Jean Bleakney’s ‘Consolidation’ is a deeply personal poem about the act of rearranging the cowry shells that the speaker and her children gathered in the past.
Some sunny, empty afternoon
I’ll pool our decade’s worth
and more of cowrie shells
gathered from that gravel patch
‘Nightscapes’ beautifully captures the feeling of being isolated from nature that is common in urban environments.
‘Winterisation’ subtly weaves the processes of preparing for winter and steeling oneself for news of bereavement.
‘Donegal Sightings’ explores how elusive the natural world can feel, even when we are immersed within its beauty.
‘Spring’ is an unsettling poem that explores the dangers of devotion and deferring happiness instead of living in the present.
‘A Watery City’ engages with themes of friendship and journeying, significantly how they are affected by the passage of time.
‘Breaking the Surface’ by Jean Bleakney is about the “art of skimming,” an extended metaphor for the art of writing poetry.
‘How Can You Say That?’ is a humorous and thoughtful rebuttal of belittlement which reflects the struggle of women in the twentieth century.
‘Out to Tender’ explores the uneasiness felt by many during the 1994 ceasefire in Northern Ireland and expresses their fear and doubt.