TO JOHN

TO JOHN

With Heartfelt Thanks

As a child, with my father, I'd go to Sligo,

Where he'd read the poems of his childhood to me.

Instilling in me a lifelong love of Yeats
And the Lake Isle of Innisfree.

My father died, when I was so young,
I felt cast adrift on the shore of life.

My own family-history, to me unknown,
It grieved me so..... It cut like a knife.

So, needing to know, I reached out
And you appeared, to help and guide me.

Gracious, generous, ever-giving,
You were there, right beside me.

It meant so much, to find my roots,
To walk the lands my father had walked.

To see his much-loved childhood places,
And to meet the people with whom he'd talked.

The length and breadth of the Emerald Isle,
Friends and cousins - everywhere!

A welcome, of overwhelming kindness,
Sligo, Dublin, Galway, Clare.....

And not just Ireland, but further afield,
Britain and the big ol' US of A...

My family twig was a mighty tree!

I little dreamt I'd see that day!

My twig had been so very small
But, with your help, it had grown to be ...

Enormous, extensive, ever-expanding....
The width of the Bayeux Tapestry!

My genetic inheritance had called to me.
My love of Ireland was deep  in my soul.

Her people, landscapes and love of language -
They soothed my spirit, they made me whole.

Your kindness, John, helped me heal.
I knew that I had found my place.

How I wish I could travel to you,
To hear your voice, to see your face.

But, we will meet again one day,
Though we don't know how, where or when....

But, meet we will, that I know,
So, take great care, 'til we meet again.

Ffion