The stairs became Mount Everest for my father
The bungalow a blessing when it came
That little house in Hindsford
Garden all around
Here at last the sweetest of home ground
An easy chair upholstered
A table for his tea
The daily paper popped in through the door
A review of all the runners
Astute selections made
Happy here he couldn’t ask for more
All his life he tried to do his best
School and pit and army
Army vest
India and Africa sortie in Iraq
Normandy and Belgium
Became his beaten track
The quiet man from Tyldesley
Out upon patrol
Arrested a stray German one fine day
Turns out the man was Himmler
As wicked as they come
Life’s encounters strange how they play
My father died at 71
His lungs could do no more
A miner’s life and ciggies saw to that
I missed so many years with him
But I caught up later on
He is still beside me
Always got my back
Brian Fahy
21 September 2021
Erris Poetry 