Mother’s Tears
by Wilma Kenny
This Catalonian storm is fierce today.
Wild rain bounces off my skin as I
avoid puddles on the cobblestone
paths and taste the salt of my tears.
The chimes from cathedral bells echo
along the alleys of the old town where
I see you alone on the apartment balcony.
Your baked panellet soothes my mood;
we still dare not speak of your part
in the struggle during last years Diada.
Across the ancient street Mary
looks up at me from her little altar,
shows off the ginesta flower a
neighbour placed on her cracked heart.
About the author:
Wilma Kenny graduated from Queen’s University Belfast, in 1978 with a degree in English and Psychology. In 2014 she was joint runner up in the Trócaire and Poetry Ireland poetry competition and was 2nd in Carers UK creative writing competition (poetry section) 2014. She was published in the recent anthology Washing Windows published by Arlen House and in 2016 had a short story published in the London Journal of Fiction. She has several pieces in The Bangor Literary Journal. More recently in 2018 she has been published in Open Ear and had a short story published in Answer the Call (Whiskey and Words). She was the winner of the Waterford Writers Poetry Competition 2018.
Mother’s Tears won first prize in the inaugural 2019 Dalkey Poetry Prize. The €1,000 prize money was awarded at a reception in The Magpie Inn, Dalkey on Friday November 29th 2019. This was the first year of the Dalkey Poetry Prize.
2019 Joint Runners Up
- Photograph by Gerry Boland
- The Dodo at the Bar by Martin Sykes
2019 Shortlist
- Wisp by Erika Doyle
- Gold by Sara Shine
For more details on the writing competition and to keep informed for 2020 announcements see: https://www.dalkeycreates.com/shortstorycompetition or follow
