A ROSARY FOR THE DEAD

A ROSARY FOR THE DEAD

By the late Eileen (nee Earls) Breen
March 27, 1916 – May 5, 2006
Poem number 14 of 21
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A ROSARY FOR THE DEAD

An old man sat beside the fire
Telling his rosary
Seeing again ‘tho his eyes were blind
Days that used to be

“Have Mercy, Oh Lord on my Father’s soul
How proud he looked the night
I jumped in the river
And saved Tom Doyle”
(Tim’s mother near died with the fright)

“Young Paddy, my brother
Was there with me too
Oh God! When I think how he died
How the Tans shot him dead
In front of our eyes
(My Mother’s tears couldn’t be dried)
Dear God, I forgive them
As you bid me do
(I’ll say that Our Father again)
Who trespass against us
And deliver us from evil, Amen”

“A decade now for my mother’s soul
T’was often she prayed for me
As she bent o’er my bed
last thing at night
And kissed me tenderly
I can still feel the touch
of her toil-worn hands
Though they’re many years under the sod
No matter, I know she’s happy now
Safe with the Mother of God”

"Kathleen, my dear wife
You went from me too
Up to the Great White Throne
Bringing our baby in your arms
Leaving me here… alone
You’re praying for me
And I’m praying for you
Praying we soon may meet
Father, Mother, Paddy and all
There at our Savior’s feet”

“How cold I’m getting
The fire must be out...
What can be wrong...
With… my breath?
Pray for us sinners …
Dear Mother of God …
Now… and at.. the.. hour..
of.. our… death”

The rosary fell from his lifeless hands
The beads of decades seven
His Doloures finished
The old blind man
Opened his eyes in heaven.
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Story ID:	2972
Written by:	Veronica Breen Hogle (bio, contact, other stories)
Organization:	Irish Cultural Events
Story type:	Poem
Location:	Bagenalstown Co. Carlow Ireland
Year:	1993
Person:	An Old Man