100 Poems by Seamus Heaney, 4/5

I love that this collection of poems was hand-selected by Heaney’s wife and children after his death, not just to include his most loved and famous works, but ones that held personal significance and memories for his family as well. With that in mind, it felt like a privilege to read this collection and made it easier to focus on what I personally found beautiful and resonant, rather than feeling the need to make a value judgement about what I did not understand or connect with. One of my favorite moments was in the poem “Mossbawn: Sunlight,” when a baker is described as dusting the board with “a goose’s wing” (32).

On a separate topic, I want to take this opportunity to send some bad energy towards the fellow library user who felt that it was reasonable to make distracting pencil marks throughout the entire book. I erased every single one.

Why I read it: The author was featured on an episode of Antiques Road Trip and I was surprised that I had never heard of such a famous and beloved poet before.