Poem by Conor Dunne

“FAIR ENOUGH”

The fairest of cities,

fallen and risen,

walking past Wilde and Molly,

and the quays, reminiscing.

The pouring rain,

the emerald land,

the pints of plain,

the “it’ll be grand.”

Just like Joyce,

I had to leave

the best of choices

I could ever conceive.

Now I stroll down different roads,

this lovely place,

my newfound home,

ruing the day when I must go

to the fairest of cities,

fallen and risen,

walking past Wilde and Molly,

and the quays, reminiscing,

about lovely Ljubljana

and all that I’m missing.

*Fair City: nickname for Dublin.

*fallen and risen: reference to the 1916 Easter Rising

*Wilde and Molly: reference to statues of Oscar Wilde and Molly Malone

*Quays: they run along the North and South banks of the River Liffey. (Pronounced like “keys”)

*Pint of plain: pint of Guinness

Originally published in Issue XIX in December 2019.