I live in Dublin, Ireland. Sometimes. Most times I live in my head, quite unaware of my surroundings – if you know what I mean… If you succeed in tracking Sean Walsh, please let me know, ok? I've been searching for him for years…
On pay night, a pub. Pint of bitter your only man –
only man I could afford at the time (late 60’s).
West Kensington, Wandsworth Common –
wherever my local happened to be…
The public bar. A cheaper pint. A dart board. Dominoes.
An open fire keeping body and soul together.
And Irish, dozens of Irish.
Paddies from the west and south of Ireland,
speaking Hiberno English –
quite unaware of the music
in their voices, their accents.
Navvies with strong, calloused hands…
I mixed with them, listened to them – ‘never one of them…
Though I did not realise it at the time
I was netting a rich harvest:
words, sentences, turns of phrase
that would surface again
in years to come… result in Drama
that would strike a chord
in the heart of Everyman.