watchingthedaisies

This Too Shall Pass

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On Friday my sister passed away after a relatively short illness. It was a very powerful reminder of how fragile life can be…

I wrote this poem several years ago, seated beneath a giant bell that faces a local graveyard.

For Whom The Bell Tolls

Seagulls scream overhead,

Above the mighty bell,

While Inis Caorach lies silent,

Between two stone walls,

In Loving Memories fill my gaze,

Of a dear wife and mother, husbands, daughters, sons…

Short sacred memories of infants and newborn,

Sarah, Peter, Rose and John,

Con, Connie, Cornelius,

Lie beneath Celtic Crosses or marble standing stones,

Inishal, Crohy Boyle, Bunawack,

Derrydruel, Milltown and Craghey,

No townland remains untouched,

One inscription says it all,

“For whom the bell tolls, the bell of the Angelus, remind me of ye.”

Brigid P. Gallagher is a retired natural medicines therapist, passionate organic gardener and author of “Watching the Daisies- Life lessons on the Importance of Slow,” a holistic memoir dedicated to the art of mindfulness and healing from debilitating illness.

 

 

 

 

140 comments

  8. This is beautiful, I’m not sure why I didn’t comment at the time, just ‘liked’ – I think perhaps I meant to come back when I had more time. I too frequent graveyards and read the headstones. Our local cemetery is beautiful, like a park with a woodland area, lots of squirrels and rabbits, all kinds of birds, and I like to think that all those people buried there are in a tranquil part of the world where the sun always seems to shine and wildlife are at play. It is where my tree is planted for my dad and my brother, a cherry tree, and in the spring the main avenue is like a painting with cherry blossom bursting forth either side all the way down to the tiny Victorian chapel in the middle. I will take a photo next year and post it on my blog, it never ceases to take my breath away. Sending you a virtual hug 💜

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