I was marooned in Elie
1973
Chaplain to a convent
For a month
A house in the grounds
Worse than being a monk
Total isolation I was sunk
Kindly nun gave me a few beers
Fed me well
Otherwise left alone
Sent there a mass to say
Each morning
That was it
Marooned in Fife forlorn
The old priest I relieved
Thought it so funny
Quoted me Alphonsus about the tomb
‘They closed the tomb and all withdrew’
His parting words
As he left me in that convent place
To stew
Now today
So many years down the line
My son and grandsons
Holiday in the sun
Send me pictures of old Elie
The Ship Inn
I wish I’d known that place
When I was young!
Brian Fahy
4 June 2021
Erris Poetry 