My father’s final years
A bungalow
Quiet corner of a quiet street
Three years of peace and quiet
Mammy by his side
Those declining years
Where old ghosts meet
Land of his childhood days again
Life full circle
After years of toil
School and pit and army days
Six full years of war
Meeting mammy
That takes care of all
Pit and broken health
And then odd jobs
Safe and sound
As mammy makes her way
Domestic service nursing
Matron of a home
Second fiddle
That’s okay I’ll play
I feel my father’s presence
Every day
His quiet gentle way
His ‘sound affair’
Encouragement approval
His horses on the go
His mug of tea
His sitting in that chair
Brian Fahy
20 July 2021
Erris Poetry 