Mammy

Mammy

My mammy was a lovely wee woman. She had loved one man all her life
And bore him nine healthy children and loved them all alike
Ill health has a way of making itself felt when things are going just right
Death took its toll.
And in no time at all she had no man in her life.
But never one to buckle under she found prayer filled her days and nights.
Never one for self-pity she’d sing songs and praise the Lord
For his care and His might
In youthful old age three score and ten
She submitted to fragilities needs
She’d chuckle and say
“Not to worry
I now have two men in my life.”

The first was Father Oliver Crilly.
She called him her pin up boy.
Without hesitation he frequently came at her bidding
And administered to her the sacrament of life

The second was Doctor John Gallagher.
She called him the “Wee gentle man.”
He saved her from pain again and again. She counted him amongst her friends
When pain and fear got the better of her
She sent for her two good men
And they came without grumble and cared
Both in their own way for an old woman nearing her end

Mammy had no power or money.
But she did have a smile in her eye.
She’d lie back on her pillows the cat snug beside and say
“Not many old women in their eighties can boast two men in their life.
Gemma Hill ©