Nigel McLoughlin
Cattle Shed
The cattle lowed their way between the stones
Of this old shed where they were herded daily
From grass to gate, until the day he fell dead
Between two horses pulling a rusty thresher
Up the field. Neighbours lifted him, carried him
Inside and laid him out across the kitchen table.
That was forty years ago and grass grows high
Around the shed. Stones have tumbled from
The roofbar, scattered to the ground and still
Cattle nose around while a stranger tends the land.
The grass, the field have gathered his grave in
And death has held him tight in open hands.
Nigel McLoughlin was born in Enniskillen in 1968. He holds an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University. He was shortlisted for the Hennessy Prize and was a runner-up in the Kavanagh Awards. His poetry is published widely in Ireland, UK, USA and Japan. His first collection is due shortly.
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