Once. A poem by Fergus Hogan

once we made love
naked and wet
once we touched and
kissed with open lips
once we came together
as groups of friends
once we shared stories around
campfires and candles
once we drank after dark to get drunk
in places called pubs and bars
once we danced all night long in discos
night clubs and dance halls
once there were jobs
that we went into each day
once we earned something of value
called money
once there were shops where we
exchanged this money for goods
once there were streets full of shops
butchers, bakers, bookshops
once there were streets and crossroads
villages, towns and even city centres
once there were airports
and old people
once there were governments elected by the people
that met in the national parliament
once the media told the truth
once, long ago
once water and air were free
once our world was a different place

………….

Fergus Hogan lives and works in Waterford where he lectures full-time in narrative family therapy at WIT. His poems have been published in the Irish Times and various anthologies. His first chapbook of poems, Bittern Cry, was published in November 2019. His novel, The Wisdom of Fionn, is a retelling of the old Irish tale with a focus on Celtic Spirituality and boy’s and men’s lives and relationships. It is being serialised, for free, each day of this stay at home time – on his publishers Facebook page Book Hub Publishing.