Blackbird Piping Poem by Liam ó Comáin

(In memory of Francis Ledwidge)

When I drive through Slane,
Alongside the Boyne,
I think of you because I also
Hear the blackbird piping,
Piping down the passage
Of the years like a wild
Poet of the hedgerow,
Calling me to join the
The bardic clan as you did years ago.

Like your fellow poet, Patrick
Kavanagh, you knew the coming
And the going of the seasons…
Which you have painted in your verse.

‘The swallow
Crowding up the dawn in spring, ’
‘The truth of beauty in summer fields, ’
‘The leafy winds of autumn, ’ and
‘The heart like sod in winter rain.’

Yes, piping us through poetry to perceive life’s beauty….