The Breadwinner
written by: JP Ryan
Our father buttered
the bread,
his vascular hand
clutching an old stained
bone-handle knife
as the wireless gave the news.
The sun had thawed
the morning,
and through the cottage window,
one star
glistened beyond a
pale and fading
lemon moon.
The Holy Ghost of Christmas
was whispering His promise
as burning embers glowed –
And I was a wide-eyed child.
JP Ryan is an Irish educator, writer and artist living in Central Europe. He studied visual art in the nineties and later completed his postgraduate studies in Art Psychotherapy before working in various clinical settings and eventually moving abroad. With a subsequent career change, he currently delivers the Intercultural Studies and Business English programme at the Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in the Czech Republic. He is also a teacher to elementary school students of varying grades. His primary passions are art, music and writing. His most recent writing and artwork have been published by Wordwell Press. 'The Welcome Guest': Christmas and the Irish. Ed. Salvador Ryan. Dublin: Wordwell Press.
Latest posts by JP Ryan (see all)
- The Breadwinner - December 22, 2024
