Friends of the writer, they’ve come all the way
from Tuam for this first night, but now they fear
meeting him. They can’t say they hated the play
(what was he thinking?) and as he draws near
they scramble for a face that won’t reveal
their feelings. But they’ve no cause to worry:
buoyed by backslappers, he has cause to feel
loved by the whole world and he’s in no hurry.
