He listened to the shipping forecast late at night
lovemaking had to wait,
Sole, Lundy, Fastnet, he was never at sea.
She wrapped herself in the comfort
of other people's storms.
When he cut the hay he settled the weather.

Napoleon could have used him on the eastern front
D-Day was postponed by a man like him
now that he's gone I can tell his grandchildren
a bed-time story that a divorce referendum
was passed by a cold front –
                 raining all that long day in Connacht.

Ger Reidy 's second book, Drifting Under the Moon (Dedalus), was published in 2010. He has won several poetry competitions, received an Arts Council bursary, and published short stories.