On this day in twenty-ten
My mammy passed away
Breathed her last of ninety-four long years
Her passing was so peaceful
I have hardly noticed grief
The shock of her coffin yes
But my tears were brief
Brief
But today I see another death
That happened on this day
In Dublin town nineteen eighty-six
Philip Cairns a schoolboy
Not but thirteen years
Dressed in schoolboy grey
Mourning all these years
He never got to school that day
His bag found in a lane
Some schoolbooks were missing
But most of all Philip
All this pain
Appeal goes out from Gardai
Surely someone knows
And righting wrongs
Never too late to do
Please God some conscience
Can be stirred
We owe it to each other
Philip Cairns live with God
We are sister brother
Brian Fahy
23 October 2021
Erris Poetry 