Mammy

She’s gone, Brian, my sister wept, she’s gone

And I drove west into a blazing sun

From Belfast down to Fivemiletown

All along that road

A flaming ball of fire the tale of glory told

 

And landing in the West in Tricia’s home

Family and cousins gathered there

And then I went along the rooms

To where my mother lay

A shrine it was my sister made

All laid out that day

 

A sudden shock came over me

To see her lying there

My mother and my origin

My life her love and care

This energetic life force

Love and lovely food

A powerhouse of womanhood

All my life so good

 

And then the veil across her face

The coffin lid laid on

Goodbye my own dear mother

From this your eldest son

The rain it fell in torrents

All morning in the West

A reprieve when at the graveyard

When we laid you down to rest

 

Twelve years on and getting old

I sit and reminisce

And celebrate my mother’s love

Her warm embrace her kiss

Her wisdom and her watching

Her mothering of us all

God grant you rest dear mammy

Where heaven’s shadows fall

 

Brian Fahy

11 May 2022