That’s what makes us human,

that we tell our stories;

we tell not just theirs,

not those of the powerful,

but those of the women

and those of the men,

who all but survive,

in our stinking back-alleys;

so out I now venture,

I, who have been sheltered,

who am warm and well-fed,

to collect from the shop

poems written by many,

for you and for you,

for the much greater many,

not just for the few.

Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh 20th September 2024