Fruits of the Earth

Frozen food is handy

But nothing tastes like fresh

Fodder from the fields is best of all

I lived it in Glencullen

My mother’s native home

Alive with produce

Now no need to roam

 

Eggs new laid that morning

And milk from the cow

And water from the river running by

And potatoes oh potatoes

Floury in the pot

And cabbage green and lively

From the garden got

 

Food was all around them

Growing in the ground

Not for them the supermarket shelves

Fresh and green and local

It tied them to the land

A rooted people

Knowing where they stand

 

My mother loved the earth all her life

And kept a garden fair for all to see

Flowers and shrubs and growing things

Vegetables for sure

She brought Glencullen with her

Native nourishment

Her childhood home her memory

Her earthly sentiment

 

Brian Fahy

18 March 2022