Hi Jean Thank you for giving us all a chance to read 'Mid-Term Break' again. This autobiographical poem was my first exposure to Heaney's work and it still has a profound effect on me. The image of the last line haunts me - the horror of looking at your four year old brother in a coffin must be unbearable. Heaney has captured the trauma in a few lines. Thanks again, Jean. --- "Jean R." <jeanrice@cet.com> wrote: > MID-TERM BREAK > > I sat all morning in the college sick bay > Counting bells knelling classes to a close. > At two o'clock our neighbours drove me home. > > In the porch I met my father crying -- > He had always taken funerals in his stride -- > And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow. > > The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram > When I came in, and I was embarrassed > By old men standing up to shake my hand > > And tell me they were "sorry for my trouble." > Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest, > Away at school, as my mother held my hand > > In hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs. > At ten o-clock the ambulance arrived > With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the > nurses. > > Next morning I went up into the room. Snowdrops > And candles soothed the bedside; I saw him > For the first time in six weeks. Paler now, > Wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple. > He lay in the four foot box as in his cot. > No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear. > > A four foot box, a foot for every year. > > -- Seamus Heaney born 1939 Mossbawn, Co. Derry > > > ==== IRELAND Mailing List ==== > Ireland Mailing List website..surname registry, > links, lookup volunteers,unsubscribe, change your > subscription from L to D or D to L > http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/IrelandList/ > > ___________________________________________________________ NEW Yahoo! Cars - sell your car and browse thousands of new and used cars online! http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/