What a coincidence to find Three Hares in this month of March – one at the entance to IMMA, another in the basement shop at Russborough and the third when I googled “hares and the moon” and discovered the beautifully illustrated poetry of Vikki Yeats (naturally I had to purchase some of her cards)
‘The Drummer’ by Barry Flanagan
was unveiled in the grounds at IMMA on Thursday 22 February 2001. The work – a 15ft-high bronze sculpture of a lively drumming hare – was donated to the Museum by the artist and is situated outside the main entrance.
Brown Hare on Connemara Marble
was made in Russborough by the blacksmith.
Vikki Yeats’ Hare and Poem: Waxing Crescent Moon
Hare, on a cool, clear night,
Raises her eyes Moonwards
To catch a glimpse of her heavenly partner.
Can she see shadows of mythology
in the delicate markings on the near side?
But not tonight, as the Moon is waxing with the Maiden,
Sending out magnetic force to enhance a spell’s potency.
Alone in a field busy with new growth,
Hare breathes in the pure air,
Envisioning the future life within her,
Her strong connection to nature.
Fluid intuition pulses through her,
Learnt over centuries
And passed down as a symbolic inheritance of wisdom.
The silver rays reflect over and through her,
Transforming her Earthbound figure into a ghost spirit;
Lightness carrying her up into the darkness
Where she can run free and deflect her many predators.
Through the stars she bounds, leaping with the joy of her own life force;
Passing planets, moons and galaxies,
Breathing in the regenerative power of her own true moon.
In an infinite cycle she casts her runes,
Empowered by her new beginning.
Joyously returning to her crescent home
She lowers her amber eyes to the Earthbound shadow,
A crouching statue below in the meadow grass.
She could forsake –Run in unrestrained pastures
To be free forever in the spirit realm –But no;
She senses the new potential deep in her belly,
Feels compelled to return to her former self;
Which will bring its own new experiences and mystical cycles.
The Moon squints down and bathes her in a protective glow:
The Moon squints down and bathes her in a protective glow:
Fare well, until we meet again
Vikki Yeates Jul 21, 2021
