“Joseph Mary Plunkett” You write, “I am the poet”. Your cell whispers “nationalist, leader, martyr”.
You speak of when your “love awoke”, A love that will never sleep.
“I love you with my every breath” resonates within every wall. “I love you too” comes the response from her cell.
“The blinding beauty of her face” is in the chapel room Gazing at her beloved new husband.
“His strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea.” A man with unmatched love and bravery.
Staring down the barrel of a gun He greets Death as if he is an old friend.
Together, Death and he “embark And sail into the dark”.
The love of his life remains in the light Yet they “are not separate”.
Together, their love is ingrained in the prison walls As deeply as ‘Mrs. Joseph Plunkett’ is etched into her door.
Along with the oppressiveness of this place, I experience love’s liberties.
Without meeting, I contemplate your love. Alas, “without meeting we must part”. - Teagan Kaemingh
Commentary on “Joseph Mary Plunkett” The story that resonated with me most from our visit to Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin was of Joseph Mary Plunkett and his love Grace Gifford. Plunkett was an Irish nationalist and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. Just hours before he was executed by a firing squad, he married Grace Gifford in the gaol’s chapel. I found the power of their love very moving. Therefore I decided to write my poem about the gaol in reference to their love. I incorporated quotes from the poems of Joseph Mary Plunkett into my poem about my experience at Kilmainham Gaol. “I am the poet” comes from Plunkett’s poem “Aaron”. “Love awoke” was taken from “New Love”. “I love you with my every breath” is from Plunkett’s poem of the same title. “The blinding beauty of her face” is in “The Lions” while “his strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea” is from “I See His Blood Upon the Rose”. “The Spark” contains “embark/ and sail into the dark” and the quote “are not separate” is from “The Living Wire”. Lastly “without meeting we must part” is an excerpt from Joseph Mary Plunkett’s poem “No Song”.