THE LINEN INDUSTRY Pulling up flax after the blue flowers have fallen And laying our handfuls in the peaty water To rot those grasses to the bone, or building stooks That recall the skirts of an invisible dancer, We become a part of the linen industry And follow its processes to the grubby town Where fields are compacted into window-boxes And there is little room among the big machines. But even in our attic under the skylight We make love on a bleach green, the whole meadow Draped with material turning white in the sun As though snow reluctant to melt were our attire. What's passion but a battering of stubborn stalks, Then a gentle combing out of fibres like hair And a weaving of these into christening robes, Into garments for a marriage or funeral? Since it's like a bereavement once the labour's done To find ourselves last workers in a dying trade, Let flax be our matchmaker, our undertaker, The provider of sheets for whatever the bed -- And be shy of your breasts in the presence of death, Say that you look more beautiful in linen Wearing white petticoats, the bow on your bodice A butterfly attending the embroidered flowers. -- Michael Longley