Mike Poem by Francis Duggan

When he was young he fell out with his father
You might say they did not see eye to eye
But strained relationships are not unusual
Between a father and his teenage boy.

He said my father had a drinking problem
And when he was drunk his fiddle he used to play
And sing the songs he learnt from his father
About the fight for freedom far away.

In retrospect my father was a good man
And he was one who did not abuse me
Except that he had big plans for my future
And i young and headstrong with him did not agree.

As years go by i think about my father
He'd be past eighty now and looking gray
In death the bond between us has grown stronger
And i know that he'd feel proud of me today.

The fellow Mike is quite a well known artist
And in his work he takes a certain pride
His paintings are in some of the best galleries
And in the art World he's known far and wide.

The artist Mike still talks about his father
When he was drunk his fiddle he used to play
And sing the songs he learnt from his father
About the fight for freedom far away.