Went the Flame Once in My Heart

The roads were drunkard jumbled mazy

On my dander through their tangles.

Lost in Dublin,

(Somewhere between suicide

And a really bad day),

I found myself

At Pembroke and Raglan roads -

Where once was true love found then lost -

And there your ghost coming back my way.

I walked where once we’d walked before,

Kicked sodden leaves in gutters clotted

Not finding here what once was there.

My footfalls rumdum, old man addled,

I tottered on shivered shanks;

Doddered by the staggering loss,

The day you left me.

Dead.

In the dead of winter.

That cleaned my clock, cocked me cold,

Took me out and laid me low.

And with the shit kicked out of me

Went the sharp once in my sight

Went the sure once in my step

Went the flame once in my heart.

---

Thomas Phalen

Thomas Phalen is an Irish-American dual citizen and retired lawyer. He has completed his course work in the M.Phil Creative Writing Program at the Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing at Trinity College Dublin and his degree will be conferred in April, 2025. He lives alternately in Phoenix, Arizona and in Dublin, Ireland.