THE MYTHOLOGY OF STEREOTYPES

Sculpted from the claw of a giant squid,
stained with its leprous ink,
the figurine presents in a bell-jar case,
seeming to plead for privacy …
or freedom.

In a similar frame of mind,
the unfortunately hideous model
had screamed Mer-hag curses from the net
suspended from the dragger’s winch,
kept alive by high pressure sea-hoses,
as the captain’s son –
a callow undergraduate of Burren –
had extended his portfolio
with his latest work exposing
the mythology of stereotypes.