In Memory Of My Mother by Patrick Kavanagh is a moving tribute to his mother by the great Irish writer Patrick Kavanagh.
It is ranked number 12 on my list of top 100 Irish poems which I am updating weekly. It is not anywhere as long as last weeks 756 line poem.
The poem is about a son remembering his mother fondly after she has died.
Written in a way that is understandable, lovable, and memorable.
In Memory Of My Mother By Patrick Kavanagh:
I do not think of you lying in the wet clay
Of a Monaghan graveyard; I see
You walking down a lane among the poplars
On your way to the station, or happilyGoing to second Mass on a summer Sunday –
You meet me and you say:
‘Don’t forget to see about the cattle – ‘
Among your earthiest words the angels stray.And I think of you walking along a headland
Of green oats in June,
So full of repose, so rich with life –
And I see us meeting at the end of a townOn a fair day by accident, after
The bargains are all made and we can walk
Together through the shops and stalls and markets
Free in the oriental streets of thought.O you are not lying in the wet clay,
For it is a harvest evening now and we
Are piling up the ricks against the moonlight
And you smile up at us – eternally.
Did you enjoy this Irish poem?
Comment below and let me know. Don’t forget to check my list of top 100 Irish poems here.
I really enjoyed this Irish poem and I am sure it will resonate with many of you. I am sharing new poems every week on my email newsletter, the weekly dose of Irish. You can subscribe here.
Thanks for stopping by,
Stephen