She may be the face I can't forget

A trace of pleasure or regret

Maybe my treasure or the price I have to pay

She may be the song the summer sings

May be the chill the autumn brings

May be a hundred different things

Within the measure of a day

It was like watching a storm come in over the hills. Once minute, she would let some poor soul have an earful then she'd be calm as can be and offering up another pint. I could see her eyes light up when Naimh would arrive with Kieran and a smile that never showed itself, unless Kieran or I arrived.

She may be the beauty or the beast

May be the famine or the feast

May turn each day into a Heaven or a Hell

She may be the mirror of my dreams

A smile reflected in the stream

She may not be what she may seem

Inside her shell

I knew she had her qualms when it came to her faith and her beliefs but I paid it no mind. Even as a priest, I didn't mind but I wondered sometimes if it was a reason why she was alone.

She, who always seems so happy in a crowd

Whose eyes can be so private and so proud

No one's allowed to see them, when they cry

She may be the love that cannot hope to last

That comes to me from shadows of the past

And I'll remember 'till the day I die

I saw her cry once and it was the day before I left on retreat. Even though I promised I would be back, it was like her whole world had come crashing down around her. It was seeing that pain; the hurt and the tears that made me realize that I loved her

She may be the reason I survive

The why and wherefore I'm alive

The one I care for through the rough and ready years

I would trade my vows and my life for her love. What good was listening to the confessions of others if no one would hear mine? I know He could hear and see but what did He think? It didn't change a thing; I would still trade my collar for a ring.

Me, I'll take her laughter and her tears

And make them all my souvenirs

For where she goes I've got to be

The meaning of my life is

She

She

Oh, she...

Even now, as she hands me a pint, I see her smile and my heart skips a beat. It is a certainty that I would trade everything for her love and I'm not ashamed to admit it.