Alfredos: After Michael Donaghy’s ‘Shibboleth’

Gold cherry

By ralph

Sun, 01 Jun 2025
  • 186 reads
2 comments
 

Alfredos

After Michael Donaghy’s ‘Shibboleth’ 

 

At these northern windows.

A morning sky painted by seven 

year old boys wild on their birthdays. 

All sugar, soap and sequences.

The promises of the coming hours.

 

Out on the bay, a fishing boat

with two men. Alfredo saying

the prayers before the bullet

cracks the air and we all bow

our heads. Poor, weak Alfredo. 

 

“You are my brother and I love you.”

loops through the rocking waves.

These boys tear for tomorrow’s sunrises.

But the windows bleach to blindness,

where everyone sleeps with the fishes.

 

 

 

Certificate PG
Poem

Comments

Submitted by Ewan on

  This very interesting poem is our Social Media pick of the day.
Please share where you can ...

Check out Donaghy's poem which inspired it, too.

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by ralph on

Thank you.

Here is the definition of 'Shibboleth'.

A "shibboleth" can refer to a few things: a word, phrase, or custom used as a test to distinguish between members of a group and non-members; a slogan or catchphrase; or a belief, principle, or practice that is commonly adhered to but is considered outdated or inappropriate.

The poem is about the secret boyhood to adult code of crime. I used images from the film 'The Godfather'. The weak Alfredo who betrayed the family and the death of Luca Brasi.

Micheal Donaghy's 'Shibboleth' is a classic and should be read. I was lucky to have him as my poetry teacher at Birkbeck College years ago.