Poem of the Week: I Was Hungry

I was hungry and you said,
‘You can’t eat here’.

I had no place to sleep and you said,
‘Not in my inn’.

I had nowhere to go, and you said,
‘Not in my back yard’.

My town was burned down, and you said,
‘My town is full’.

I fought against ISIS, and you said,
‘No men need apply’.

My family drowned in the sea, and you said,
‘We have no swimming pool’.

I said I was cold, and you said,
‘We can fix that easily.’

I have no money and you said,
‘The shops are too far away, anyway’.

I said, ‘I’m just as human as you.’
And you muttered, ‘Well, not really.’

I said you’re supposed to love your neighbour as yourself,
And you laughed, ‘That’s a lot of old guff.’

I said, ‘this all happened to you too’, and you said,
‘But that was a long time ago’.

Alan Titley is author of two collections of poetry 'Rabhadh:dánta' and '...liricí gearra' as well as a verse novel An Bhean Feasa. He is Emeritus Professor of Modern Irish at UCC and a member of the Royal Irish Academy.