White Water

for Line McKie

The light, tarred skin
of the currach rides
and receives the current, 
rolls and responds to
the harsh sea swell. 

Inside the wooden ribs
a slithering frenzy; a sheen
of black-barred silver-
green and flailing mackerel:
the iridescent hoop
of a gasping sea trout. 

As a fish gleams most
fiercely before it dies,
so the scales of the sea-hag
shine with a hectic
putrescent glitter:

luminous, bleached—
white water—
that light in the narrows
before a storm breaks.

Credit

Author

John Montague

John Montague was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 28, 1929, to James Montague, an Ulster Catholic from County Tyrone. James immigrated to the United States in 1925, where his brother, John, was already residing. Montague’s paternal grandfather, also named John, had been appointed a justice of the peace by Queen Victoria. Montague’s mother Mary Montague (née Carney), sometimes called Molly, immigrated to the U.S. three years after her husband with her three sons in tow. Montague lived in New York City during the Great Depression.

Date Published

01/01/2005