FRANK PHILLIPS

My Remarkable Uncle

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My uncle Frank Phillips is a fascinating man who has been an inspiration to me for as long as I can remember. Frank like so many others of his generation , was forced to seek out work in London where he lived for over forty years. During all that time he never lost touch with his roots in Ballycannon just outside Limerick. I remember as a child listening to my mother reading aloud Franks letters, in which he would reminisce about his old neighbours and the pleasant days he spent growing up in their midst. Even though Frank made his living in the building trade in the cosmopolitan city of London he retained a precise memory of the people and places he left behind in Ireland. He could literally travel the Ballycannon road in his minds eye noting every gap and gate and house as he went. For all I know he could note every bush and tree as well ,as he travelled this mental road!His memory of past events is still astonishing even to this present day.One of Franks many talents is the ability to remember poetry that he learned a long time ago, and he has the knack of quoting sizable chunks of verse at an appropriate moment! He disparages this talent by saying "I'm a mine of useless information!" Like many others I have dug rich nuggets from this "mine" over the years, and have listened spellbound as Frank recited works by the great classical writers. The following poem is one of his favourites, and has become one of mine. ..

Leisure

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

W.H.Davies