In Memory of Sr. Gonzaga Clancy C.H.F. 1922-2012
No one has dead-headed the roses this Autumn
And no one is sure who will make the Christmas cakes.
No one knows who to call if a slate falls from the roof,
Or chutes collapse under snow, or the boiler judders to a stop.
There will be no one now returning from town
With a hundred tales garnered on buses.
Who else, at ninety, will charm the tyro docs,
Create a flutter among the waiters in the grimmest restaurant?
Who will make soup for the beggar at the gate,
Butter a son gout his sandwiches?
Who will make chance into occasion,
Turn drab days into festival?
Who will we treasure our odd encounters for, to draw her laughter?
Who will remember the names we forget?
If we tell tales of her now, they will be edged with sadness:
We will be chuckling; and hiding tears.
(From God in Winter, Dedalus Press, 2015 ) Padraig J Daly’s collections include The Last Dreamers: New and Selected Poems ( Dedalus Press ) and, published this month, God in Winter (Dedalus Press ).
