Matthew 19:13-15
We hear of childhood trauma all the time
Grown up folk whose childhood was a crime
That lass Anne Heche was dragged from town to town
Abused tormented lost confused worn down
Let little children come to me
The Lord so clearly states
They are not lesser people
Just smaller and they’re great
Persons so completely
Give them their due place
Do not ignore mistreat them
They have their own true face
Aunty Lily brought me in
My folks without a home
His place is by the fireside
My pram so nice and warm
She made a fuss and welcomed me
And my mother too
We never forgot her kindness
So I tell the tale to you
Brian Fahy
13 August 2022
+ I saw Anne Heche in the film, Volcano, with Tommy Lee Jones. A very attractive lady, yet as I have learned, a person with a very troubled childhood. The world is full of such troubled people. The story of Jesus welcoming children is vitally important. Our loving relationships with children make the firm foundation of their lives. My own grandsons are my joy and delight and I hope my part in their lives will be positive in every kind of way.
My own parents were without a home of their own, for the first few years of marriage, after the war. We were welcomed into the home of my father’s brother, Tommy, when I was three months old. Lily, Tommy’s wife was a wonderful, warm-hearted woman, and brought my pram into the living room and set it by the fireside, giving me pride of place in their home. My mother never forgot this welcome or this kindness.
Erris Poetry 