The Countryman Poem by Matt Mooney

He stood there as I passed,
His carrier bags beside him,
Pacing to and fro patiently
In an empty, idle bus stop
In the town Square today-
Waiting for a lift somewhere.

Later on he was waiting still
After I had done my rounds
On the other side of town
So I said I'd stop to ask him
If I might take him home
As I was going out myself.

A clean cut man all in brown,
Felt hat sitting on his head,
Assured me that he was OK
And that his lift was certain.
Although he was a stranger,
He bent and thanked me
In the accent of North Kerry,
A happy countryman so fine.

I praised the lovely weather
And he said it was the finest;
Of course I must advise you
We spoke in relative terms
For we had a cloudy summer
And for good measure too
Cutbacks crippling me and you.

It was what he said in passing
That made my day complete:
‘I hope', he said of the weather
‘It stays now with the moon'-
In a flash it all came back to me-
Nights at home and stories told
And the new moon growing old.

I left him there, I left the Square;
I'd like to build in memory of him
A monument to one happy man
Who gave me all he had today;
He was so honest, fair and free
In truth he didn't need that lift
But instead he gave a lift to me.