Gerry Sweeney's Mammy Poem by Dónall Dempsey

GERRY SWEENEY'S MAMMY

Mrs. Sweeney
was Gerry Sweeney's mammy.

And even though I had my own
I had her on loan.

It was like having a spare
mammy.

And even when she was mad
with us

she just couldn't be mad
with us.

'Go on...' she'd grin '....go on! '

'Ya'd wear the heart out of a stone! '

And if ya fell and
ya were cryin'

your heart and knee
badly grazed

or badly bitten by a bee
she....

would hug you up
with all of her self

'Ahhh come here to me ya
poor little dote! '

Wrap you up in
so much love

it would last
for years.

For years.

Gerry Sweeney was my best
friend ever

in the way-back-then:
still is....nothing's changed

except us young fellas
have become auld fellas

who still think
they're young fellas.

And every time I see him
I could almost cry.

I can still see his mammy
smiling out of his eyes.