Poem of the month

selected by David Underdown, who supplies the commentary

What She Does Not Know Is

by Dennis O’Driscoll

That she is a widow.
That these are the last untinged memories of her life.
That he is slumped in his seat at a lay-by.
That a policeman is trying to revive him.
That the knife and fork she has set are merely decorative.
That the steak beside the pan will go to waste.
That he has lost his appetite.
That the house she is tidying is for sale.
That the holiday snap will be used for his memorial card.
That he will not be subjected to direct light again.
That she will spend all night brewing tears.
That it is not his car she will soon hear slowing down outside.

Denis O’Driscoll was an Irish poet born in Tipperary on New Year’s Day 1954. He spent his working life as an employee of the Irish Inland Revenue Service. Married to the poet Julie O’Callaghan, he published twelve poetry collections and chapbooks between 1982 and his sudden death on Christmas Eve 2012. His work has been described as the lyric equivalent of William Trevor. This short but prescient poem is taken from his ‘New and Selected Poems’ published by Anvil Press.