SHAME US, HEANEY

Shame us, Heaney,
shame us with your brilliance,
your genius,
that wordsmith warp and weft,
that mind alert and deft,
that natural charm to disarm,
the books, the lectures, the readings,
the accolades, awards and prizes,
the compliments, all shapes and sizes,
the effortlessness,
the down-to-earthness,
the glide of that squat pen
between finger and thumb,
each delicate word earning its place,
each phrase honed for rhythm and pace.


Shame us, Heaney,
we work, we dream,
always in your slipstream.