A Poem by Dermot Bolger

My Teacher Recites a William Allingham Poem

Four ducks on a pond,

I used to think my first poem was one by Ledwidge
Or Monsignor Pádraig de Brún’s deft embezzlement
Of Gogarty’s verses about a ship from Valparaiso. 

A grass bank beyond,

But in our makeshift classroom in a church basement
Where daylight barely penetrated windows of plate-glass,
I now realise that this is the first poem I can recollect
Being recited by my teacher, whose life was cut short. 

A blue sky of spring,

Mr Donnelly’s voice paused after reading the last line.
Aged nine, I was perplexed by its mysterious simplicity,
By why anyone would record so insignificant a moment.

White clouds on the wing;

“This is the simplest poem you will ever read,” he said,
“Maybe one day, when old enough, you’ll understand it.” 

What a simple thing

Because he never lived to attain the age of Christ,
I have no way to tell him how my life panned out;
The crescendos of bliss and the bitter heartaches

To remember for years –

That punctuated a journey bringing me to a stage
When, if I now ever recall being that puzzled child
In a cellar lit by stray flecks of coloured sunlight, 

To remember with tears!

I wish to raise my hand across the years and declare,
“I think I grasp it now. I understand this poem, Sir.”

Note: ‘Four ducks on a pond’ was written by William Allingham (1824–1889)

Dermot Bolger is an Irish poet, novelist and playwright who received the 2021 O’Shaughnessy Poetry Award in America. His fourteen novels include The Journey Home. His debut play, The Lament for Arthur Cleary, received the Samuel Beckett Prize. Recent plays for Ireland’s National Theatre, the Abbey, include Last Orders at the Dockside and an adaption of Joyce’s Ulysses.