Leprechaun Poem by Eugene Levich

He entrained at Belfast Central
The North-South Express
And sat facing me
Though I was barely aware
Having been imbibing Tullamore Dew
In sufficient quantities the night before

'So, where are you from' he asked
I opened my eyes a crack and saw him there
A wee man, red of face, tweed suit,
Odd little brimmed hat
Twinkles in his eyes
Were his ears pointed?
I didn't notice.

'America, ' I said
'And where are you going? ' the wee man asked
'Dublin, ' I said
'Well then, I'll point out the sights fer ya, ' he said
And that he did, rolling through the emerald plains of Kildare
'Would you mind watching me things while I use the loo? ' he said
(Well, I forget whether he said loo, bathroom, or W. C.)

All he had was a little suitcase up on the rack
I said 'okay, ' not thinking
He was gone a long time

He hadn't returned yet as the border police came aboard
Every house flying a huge Union Jack around there
A policeman requested my passport
'Are these things yours? , ' he asked, waving his hand
'Yes, ' I said,
Not realizing his wave included the wee man's suitcase
The copper nodded and moved on
And the train crossed the border

The wee man still hadn't returned
Suddenly, I awoke from my stupor
'Something's funny here, ' I thought
How long had he been gone?
Twenty minutes, a half hour?
And just then he showed up
As we arrived at the first station over the border,
Dundalk, I think the sign said


'Well, ' he said, with a merry twinkle,
'This is where I get off...
Thanks for watching me suitcase, ' he said
And then he was gone

I wondered what he had in that suitcase
I hoped it wasn't hand grenades
I know now that if I'd grabbed him and hollered,
'I've gotcha, I've gotcha, I've gotcha, ' three times
He'd ‘ave had to give me a big pot o' gold
To force me to let him go