Abuse is nothing new
Let me tell you
Proceeding from a sad and angry heart
Unless the heart is healed
The bile outpouring
Just continues
We can do our part
At ten years old
I sat and wrote a letter
With Kenny Thompson
A friend of mine in school
We wrote to support
Bert Trautmann ex POW
Man City ‘keeper
Mr Cool
Abused for the crime
Of being German
Poisoned pen was aiming bile at him
We schoolboys wanted better
Of a world so badly scarred
We wrote to say
We thought the world of him
Jesus in his healing
Is accused
Of working for the devil
By his power
Authorities of the day
Who should show a better way
Abused the Lord
To try and make him cower
Verbal abuse
The daily form of warfare
Words can hurt
If allowed to do their worst
A contrary flow of human kindness
Protects us
From the callous and the curse
Sometimes the only way
Is to ignore them
To let them stew alone
In their own juice
To realise themselves
Their words are useless
To revive
We must learn to speak the truth
Brian Fahy
14 July 2021
Erris Poetry 