am camchéachta
am camchéachta - 'starry plough' in gaeilge
i was not made by mistake, constructed
of pieces plucked from the ether. every
freckle is non-accidental– from the
spray-painted sunbursts on my cheeks, to the
almost-perfect starry plough on my arm;
tricolour significance worn on my
skin, that i may walk in the paths of my
makers. six marks, six seeds that cannot be
unsown. i fly their flag from the plough to
the stars– a tie transcending through the years,
unbroken. they scythed our name, sanded its
sharp edges, but our weapons became tools.
they still burn our banner, but let their fires
smoulder. they cannot take my stars from me.
04.04.2022
context: this poem is about a collection of six freckles, in three pairs, on my arm, which form an almost-perfect starry plough. it's an immovable anchor to the heritage i am very proud of. i am proud of my name, though some of its meaning has been lost through forced assimilation. i am proud of where i come from. i am proud to bear the mark of my makers.
beidh ár lá linn. beidh lá eile ag an bPaorach.
