Three Poems by Gordon Ferris

 

In the voice of elderly confused women in a hospital ward not sure where she is

Midnight reverie 

Where am I

Did I have a fall

At home

Mopping out the hallway

Will you sit beside me

Talk for a while

Sure Cathleen you never

Come and see me anymore.

Would you not stay a bit longer

The house is so quite

without you

Where am I

Did I have a fall

At home.

Mopping out the hallway.

Who are You

Will you sit beside me?

Did I meet you before?

Am I in Hospital

You're a nurse. ( sceptical tone)

Ara stay a bit longer

Ye never visit

Mammy misses you   so much

Where am I

Did I have a fall

At home.

Mopping out the hallway.

ARGH, NO; LEAVE ME ALONE

Will ye leave me alone

I am so alone

Cathleen why won't you speak to me

The Silence,  deafening

With your absence

If you hear me 

cry out in the night

Or talk to an 

invisible Unseen 

Or ask you where I am

And who you are 

Then repeat all

Please forgive me

This seems unreal

As if in a dream

Am I here

Am I really here

Am I   really here

Seeing

can you hear it 

when a child cries 

words they try to say 

imploring you to understand 

do you know the 

places they have been 

the worlds they have seen 

the words they have heard spoken

can you hear it 

when a child cries

that look of recognition

seeing things that 

are not there

the smile

with no source of amusement

can you hear it 

Can you hear it

When a child cries

How they copy the things 

they see you do

and look up in wonder

At the childish magic you still possess

How they wait and 

never sleep until you are home

On the Church steps

on the church steps

with sincere condolences ringing 

staring out the gate

looking for the signs of

souls departing

hoping this will be the end of hospital wards

with drafty corridors–waiting 

For consultants to have that conversation

In hushed sympathy

too many times beforeĺ

has this same song been played

ending in the procession

to the opened ready grave – covered in green  

God, I hope this is the last for now.

Gordon Ferris was born and raised in Finglas, a North West suburb of Dublin. In the early eighties, he moved to Donegal where he has lived ever since. He started writing in 2014 and has had many short stories and poems in publications including Hidden Channel, A New Ulster, The Galway Review, Impspired Magazine, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Live Encounters and Flare. He has also won prizes in the summer 2020 HITA Creative Writing Competition for his poem ‘Mother’ and was joint winner in the winter competition for his poem ‘The Silence’.

Poetry Ireland awarded Gordon a Poetry Town Bursary in 2022.

In January 2023, Impspired published his first book, Echoes, a short story collection. In December, Impspired published his second book, A Mirror Looking Out, a poetry collection, under the brilliant guidance of the late Steve Cawte.