Bio
The 2010 winner of the Hennessy Poetry Award, Afric McGlinchey grew up in Ireland and Africa.
She was also a Pushcart nominee, shortlisted in the Bridport, and highly commended in the Magma,
Joy of Sex, and Dromineer poetry competitions in 2012. She is a book editor, and writes fiction
and poetry reviews for the Irish Examiner, Sabotage and Orbis. Her début poetry collection,
The lucky star of hidden things, was published in 2012 by Salmon.
http://www.salmonpoetry.com/bookshop-search.php
Afric lives in West Cork, Ireland.
www.africmcglinchey.com
Afric McGlinchey
The power of a hat
I, who never wear hats,
place a Stetson on my head,
and instantly hear jazz, oboe,
strings, allegro,
as I side-step
pavement cracks.
Hands find pockets and I catch
the eye of a green-eyed stranger.
You are suddenly hurtling towards me
from some oriental hologram of the vertical city,
scraping deep the sky,
loping into my domain for just one smile.
I soak in Irish rain, skirt puddles,
flaunt my hat.