It Suits a Narrative

by Rita Ann Higgins

It suits a narrative of the 'big, bad state
and the 'big bad religious congregations',
- Mary Higgins, CEO of Caranua
The Irish Times, March 20th 2017.

Some applicants will never be happy
and grievances suit a narrative,
of the big bad church
and the big bad state
and the big bad building
with the big bad gate.

We ration our compassion,
while all ye say suits a narrative
of the big bad state.

We ration our compassion
but we'll give you a couch.
We ration our compassion
but we'll give you new windows.

We are the keepers
of the churches’ money.
As keepers we divvy and we pay
but not to you directly, we won't give you money
but we 'll give you new teeth
a new radiator, a brand new funeral.
What more could you ask for?

It’s not that we want your pain
to be everlasting,
but by the same token
it suits a narrative for ye
to come on national radio and complain
and say we have no compassion.

We have oodles of it,
but we ration our compassion.
If we give you stuff without humiliating you
it will be no fun at all.

So fill out that form and then fill another
and another and another
and one for your sister
and one for your brother
and while you’re at it
fill one out for your mother.

Don't listen to the guy who said,
criminal records are given out
like holy communion to people in institutions.
We all know he stole an apple
otherwise why would he have been there?

Some applicants will never be happy
and its suits a narrative,
of the big bad church
and the big bad state
and the big bad building
with the big bad gate.

Note: Survivors of institutional child abuse in Ireland have been told that the state organisation tasked with supporting their health, housing and other needs is to wind down from 1 August 2018. 

This poem was first published in Reading the Future: New Writing from Ireland: Celebrating 250 Years of Hodges Figgis.