KATHLEEN O'SHEA 1924-1997

My mother washing clothes

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MEMORIES OF A SUNNY DAY

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When I remember you it is always summer
And flowers are perpetually in bloom,
Like here on a glorious afternoon
Rinsing clothes in rainwater…

You were always working, at home or away
Racing from one chore to another
But with the grace and care of the artiste,
Never too busy to stop and smell the flowers
Or lean over the back wall for a chat with a neighbour,
Or listen to my childish tales and poems
Which even then, I pompously recited.

If you were living now you would kill me for this picture
As you nearly did on the day
Not realising that you bent over ,washing clothes
Had more poise and charm than all those starchy family portraits
Where, scrubbed and posed
The life is exorcised by the squinting aperture.

Here in a country garden, inside the city wall
Spotlighted by the sun and cheered by waving leaves
You perform the daily task of living
With all the dignity and grace of a mother
Who cared for and warmed us ,in every routine deed.

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Gerard O'Shea