A poem written on the train journey north, grappling with the heavy reality of travelling to say goodbye to my father. It is a prayer for strength and peace as I prepare to sit by his bedside in what may be his final hours, finding comfort in the landscape and trusting his soul to the care of the High King.

The Northward Road

1
The northward road bears pilgrims home,
Through fields of gold and rain;
From Liffey’s tide to Boyne’s slow bend
We ride with hidden pain.

2
The carriage hums like ancient psalm,
A low and steady prayer;
And Christ walks softly down the aisle
To breathe with us in care.

3
The hedgerows lean like watching saints,
The blackbird keeps the way;
The oaks of Meath stand sentinel
For those who weep today.

4
Past Armagh’s hills, past holy wells,
Past stones where monks once trod,
We travel toward a veiled unknown
Yet held within our God.

5
For love has called us north again
Along this iron spine;
To sit beside a failing breath
And guard a life’s last line.

6
O Christ who walked the Emmaus road,
Walk now this track with me;
And in my father’s darkened room
Let light be all we see.

7
When dawn breaks over Cave Hill’s crown
And hope feels thin as air,
Still keep us rooted in Your peace—
The pulse of every prayer.

8
And when fair Antrim’s fields unfold
In morning’s tender light,
May Slemish guard my father’s soul
As he meets the High King’s might.

Copyright 2026 Michael McFarland Campbell.