We were not meant to flourish
We were meant to be the same
Like tins of Heinz beans upon a shelf
Uniformed in black in a regiment
Do not stand out or we’ll put you at the back
Self-denial taken to extremes
Your personal gifts are not for showing off
Deny yourself in every way
Suppress your very self
Wear that black on your knees
No wonder I lost track
I should have been at university
I should have been among my peers my own
I should have been getting to know the girls
But no we’ve got you – that you can disown
I never actually wanted to be a priest
Preacher was the call that summoned me
Speaker of a word that brings to life
Poet if you will – it seems to be
Leaving proved so hard – I couldn’t see
Ahead – what kind of man I’d be
Margaret and Michael in my life
But me…what now becomes of me?
As it turned out I stayed the very same
Kept on writing kept true to that aim
Every day I wrote though no one saw
I had to write – this my only draw
Then I found the way to go
Engagement mediation test the word
Engage with troubled souls and let them know
You can come through no need to use the sword
And now I have a website of my own
To write and try a decent word to say
Fire upon the earth the Lord’s true aim
Burning hearts never be the same
Brian Fahy
21 October 2021
Erris Poetry 