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Fiona Curran -
THE HAIL MARY PASS.

The Hail Mary pass is an American football term. It is used when a ball is thrown blind in the vague hope a receiver will make the catch and deliver a last minute victory.

The Undertaking

Remember Michael? Our Dad's undertaker and Mam's as well,
I always think of him when I go to funerals,
how he stood alone in the left hand pews, away from us at the crem.
Why? I whispered, and you promoted to Head of the Family said,
He represents the Dead, he's a stand in for Dad on the other side.
From time to time, distracted from the terrible contents of that coffin,
I would catch him out of the corner of my eye, intoning,
doing his sombre bit, looking brutally sad because he knew Dad.
And I wanted to go over and knock his hat from his hand,
drag him back to the family, tell him
Come and sit with us again, forget death.

Fiona Curran
The Hail Mary Pass.
Wrecking Ball Press
ISBN 1-903110-41-6