by Stephen Barry
In Irish we do not say “I am sad”
it is not an identity, rather
we say that “the sadness is upon me”.
It is a thing we wear covering us
to hide the scars and hollowness we bear
It is a finely tailored bespoke tweed,
that I can hang in the closet and yet…
put on again when memory intrudes
and all my shattered pieces remaining
need to be buttoned and held together.
So well-measured to fit only my grief.
This comfortable old coat keeps me warm
when the cold hand rests upon my shoulder
and tears fall like the soft Glengariff rain.
*The poem Ta’ Bro’n Orm was written following his son Brendan’s death by suicide in 2022.
Stephen Barry is a dad, trial lawyer, and fly fisherman living in New York City. His poetry has been published in Emerge Literary Journal, Boston Literary Magazine, and numerous other journals. His first chapbook, The Things That We Lost was published by Big Table Publishing in 2014.
Emerge Literary Journal 