Mum's Affliction

Mum was alway sharp of eye,

if you had to thread a camel

she was the guy.

She could shoot but could not kill,

and to see her strike a golf ball

was to all who saw a thrill.

She could sing like a bird

and if you liked a limerick

no matter how absurd,

she always had the right last word.

But now she’s blind

and she ‘s lost this world

and what the fuck is she doing?

She’s talking to her friends

and though she’s quite bereft,

in quiet moments she says to herself,

thank fucking Christ — I ‘m not deaf.