Extra revision notes

The NCI have notes on both papers : http://www.ncirl.ie/Events/FREE_Leaving_Cert._English_Revision_Sessions

The Shadow Doll - First Impressions

THE SHADOW DOLL




(This was sent to the bride-to-be in Victorian times, by her dressmaker. It consisted of a porcelain doll, under a dome of glass, modeling the proposed wedding dress.)




They stitched blooms from ivory tulle

to hem the oyster gleam of the veil.

They made hoops for the crinoline.




Now, in summary and neatly sewn --

a porcelain bride in an airless glamour --

the shadow doll survives its occasion.




Under glass, under wraps, it stays

even now, after all, discreet about

visits, fevers, quickenings and lusts




and just how, when she looked at

the shell-tone spray of seed pearls,

the bisque features, she could see herself




inside it all, holding less than real

stephanotis, rose petals, never feeling

satin rise and fall with the vows




I kept repeating on the night before --

astray among the cards and wedding gifts --

the coffee pots and the clocks and




the battered tan case full of cotton

lace and tissue paper, pressing down, then

pressing down again. And then, locks.

Image from http://farm1.staticflickr.com/176/432725493_ca243f14fd_z.jpg?zz=1