in memory of Gerald Dawe

The Mariners’ Church in Dún Laoghaire is now
The National Maritime Museum of Ireland,
And here the coffin of Gerald Dawe floats in
And anchors among the other boats of the world.

The enormous lighthouse-lamp distributes
Sunshine from the floral stained-glass window
On to his coffin, as through a kaleidoscope:
It picks out yellow roses called The Poet’s Wife.

Now that the soul of Gerald Dawe puts out to sea
Let us lend an ear to his every poem
As to a prayer, and navigate the silent dark:
We have become a multitude of mariners.

Michael Longley’s latest collection, Ash Keys: New Collected Poems, will be published this month