Limbo

Limbo | Seamus Heaney Fishermen at Ballyshannon Netted an infant last night Along with the salmon. An illegitimate spawning, A small one thrown back To the waters. But I'm sure As she stood in the shallows Ducking him tenderly Till the frozen knobs of her wrists Were dead as the gravel, He was a minnow with hooks Tearing her open. She waded in under The sign of the cross. He was hauled in with the fish. …

…r losing her new born child. This poem reproves the social and religious values in modern Irish society that result in the many deaths of infants. The intolerance of the Catholic church is the direct cause of the problem. Once more, one can question why women are of secondary importance. The poem presents an insights into the circumstances leading to the tragic loss of a child. Seamus Heaney sympathizes with the suffering mother. Caboriginal.nl