Bedford Row Family Project

Tionscadal Teaghlach Rae Bedford

Charity No. 13486

Franciscan / Mercy Joint Initiative

Franciscan Hall, Lr Bedford Row, Limerick

Tel. 061 315332

Fax. 061 310036

Email Us

What We Hear

Children Have Needs Too

Through The Eyes Of A Child

Exposure

A Sister's Cry For Help

Too Late

Give Us A Chance

Never A Good Time To Do Time

I am sorry Mam I was not at your side

That was the biggest consequence

Of my being inside.

I was sorry then and I am sorry today

But you always take my guilt away

I was blind then but now I see

My dirty past

And uncertain future

We joked in jail

For ye it must have been hell

Now I want to give my all

For us to have a different future

What really makes it worthwhile is

Knowing you're watching over us up there.

(Man whose mother died while he was in prison.)

Poetry

Prison

He lies within his concrete tomb,
Buried in the system's womb,
A nameless face to his guard,
Just a number on a card.
Lock him up. Break his pride.
Smash his spirit deep inside.
Separate him from his sect.
Convert his hate to respect.
Torment him in his concrete cage,
Then pacify his violent rage.
Break his barriers if you can,
Smash the wall around the man.
Show compassion when he's sad,
And big hard policy when he's bad.
Treat him as you would a child,
When his aggression gets too wild.
Ignore his complaints of abuse,
Confrontation is no use.
To build your bridges to his brain.
His confidence you will have to gain.
But your attitudes are all take.
My pride, my spirit you'll never break.

Inside Out

It's true to say I took my chance
And yes I paid the price
What I never knew from in to out
Is that I would pay twice
And three and four and five and six
And many times the score
From friends to family and everything
Result, a closed out door
Onto the point where it might seem
Softer to go back
To all the things I can rely on
Off the beaten track.

The Monster

From the age of twelve along came a monster and ate up my dream.

I was ducking and diving, running and hiding

This monster was finding

A place for me that I can't escape,

Please God, any chance of giving me a break?

Before that monster my life was alright,

Not a bother in the world, I could do as I liked.

I drank (and smoked) a lot younger than most

Money was a problem and I wasn't getting a job,

Time to start robbing, live up to the mob.

Before I knew it I had money and clothes,

Birds was an option I definitely chose,

Fourteen years of age and living the life,

Till the big guys stepped in and handed me a knife,

Time for the fun to be gone, the Monster is here and I don't know for how long.

I got sentenced - two years in jail

since then it was release and more jail, jail, jail,

The only thing good in this monster is

the mail, mail, mail.