I wear a coat my brother gave to me
A flat cap – Foxford Woollen Mills –
Our Tricia picked for me
A warm scarf round my neck
That Sheila sent to me
Dressed in sibling finery
I’m as warm as warm can be
We were a close-knit family
Four children Mum and Dad
And collie dog for company
Best dog I ever had
A council house to shelter us
Our school not far away
Our childhood days were happy ones
That’s where foundations lay
Four of us we get along
Yet different from each other
That’s enriching not a curse
Two sisters and two brothers
And when I go out for my shop
The siblings keep me warm
With coat and cap and woollen scarf
I’ll never come to harm
Brian Fahy
3 March 2022
Erris Poetry 