Home
for my father
Halfway there,
the hearse broke down
irrevocably.
Our undertaker-driver
said it was lucky
he knew the local
man and all, who
dusted down an older
model, drove us on.
*
They’re used to death
on Lissadell, were
sorry for our trouble;
they had dug the grave.
My hand slipped
shovelling earth
onto the coffin’s
velvet cushion -
stone on wood’s
too cold to contemplate.
I’d stick to the pen
if I were you,
the old priest said.
It pleased him,
my ineptitude.
*
In Ellen’s ancient bar,
Michael tots up
drinks in pencil.
I’m introduced to Pat,
who’s had an education,
says the English
knew they’d win
destroying the Irish tongue.
Few speak it here.
Dun an doras isn’t (Shut the door)
much to know,
or dun do bheal. (shut your mouth)
*
You’re with the men
you went to school with
fifty years ago, asking
what they know about Micky
Flynn. Who’d have thought it
of cousin Ellie, a bastard son?
*
We found the undertaker
in his grocer’s shop.
He couldn’t live by death alone.
Sure, you’ll be over
soon enough again,
why don’t you pay me then?
*
How could he know
you have no reason
to return, that she
had been the last of us?
Even the field you
thought was yours
has gone to Micky
in the States. All
that’s left for you
to smile about is Pat
traipsing back from
Ellen’s in the afternoon
to see us off, his cows
waiting in the lane
to lead him home.
Page(s) 13-15
magazine list
- Features
- zines
- 10th Muse
- 14
- Acumen
- Agenda
- Ambit
- Angel Exhaust
- ARTEMISpoetry
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- Brando's hat
- Brittle Star
- Candelabrum
- Cannon's Mouth, The
- Chroma
- Coffee House, The
- Dream Catcher
- Equinox
- Erbacce
- Fabric
- Fire
- Floating Bear, The
- French Literary Review, The
- Frogmore Papers, The
- Global Tapestry
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- Homeless Diamonds
- Interpreter's House, The
- Iota
- Journal, The
- Lamport Court
- London Magazine, The
- Magma
- Matchbox
- Matter
- Modern Poetry in Translation
- Monkey Kettle
- Moodswing
- Neon Highway
- New Welsh Review
- North, The
- Oasis
- Obsessed with pipework
- Orbis
- Oxford Poetry
- Painted, spoken
- Paper, The
- Pen Pusher Magazine
- Poetry Cornwall
- Poetry London
- Poetry London (1951)
- Poetry Nation
- Poetry Review, The
- Poetry Salzburg Review
- Poetry Scotland
- Poetry Wales
- Private Tutor
- Purple Patch
- Quarto
- Rain Dog
- Reach Poetry
- Review, The
- Rialto, The
- Second Aeon
- Seventh Quarry, The
- Shearsman
- Smiths Knoll
- Smoke
- South
- Staple
- Strange Faeces
- Tabla Book of New Verse, The
- Thumbscrew
- Tolling Elves
- Ugly Tree, The
- Weyfarers
- Wolf, The
- Yellow Crane, The