The loss of a language is always a shame.
I suppose use of English was to blame.
There are no words in Irish for – yes – or – no –,
those small abrupt words you need to know.
And apparently no word for – sex – exists,
but descriptions of it do persist;
and to describe – fond – that emotion
causes quite a complicated commotion.
No word in Irish for – to have.
Does that mean they are not possessive?
Thinking they don’t behave acquisitively,
I then see the substitute is – at me.
That sounds like something is thrown your way,
the object in question is – at me – they say.
If a word or phrase is to have stress
it goes to the front for emphasis.
And without the verb – to know –
how would knowledge then grow?
If the Gaelic Irish were accused of dirty tricks,
it might have been a question of linguistics!

What aroused my curiosity
was the importance of the verb – to be.
That is essential philosophically.
The verb is treated importantly,
and forms most of the tenses that you see.
With such a complicated state you cannot dabble.
In Irish the condition of being, is a variable.

It has been previously said –
“where angels fear to tread.”
And where devils avoid to go
has a danger sign you know.
But the foolish blunder in
unarmed and unquestioning.
Be careful of what you wish
when reading or speaking Irish!

To be, or not to be –
that is the answer for me.
It is an important irregular verb
whose variations will disturb.
It has the ability to form most tenses
and understanding it will add to your senses.
Ask an Irish speaker how to get somewhere,
and they will advise – I wouldn’t start from here.
To grasp the meaning of being, I hear,
is a subtle and important distinction, made clear.

Tá, meaning someone’s condition or state;
so, I am stupid in this debate.
Or it describes a position or location;
so, I am at the table – an easy notation.
But it also describes characteristics and appearance.
So, I am completely confused, in this instance;
but not for – I am a confused person,
even though I really am one!
Use tá for saying what someone is doing.
For that I will say – I am learning.
It is sometimes used to describe a transition.
I hope that – this is temporary confusion.

The other way to be – is the copula.
I am surprised that I have got this far.
It is used for what the person is,
a slight difference in this half verb quiz.
For – I am a stupid student, use – is,
but tá says – I am stupid – and is not amiss.
This is supposed to be a subtle difference,
but my stupidity rating is approaching dunce.
So I do not feel like a total fool
can I have yet another rule?
When in English the state of being
is next to the following:
either an adjective or an action
or a position or location;
then you will use the word tá.
Have I understood this feature?
But I should be aware of this.
If being is followed by a noun, use is.
Are there any more directions
for which I will need corrections?
Yes, there is another directive
to keep the study totally active.
Tá is used for something that will change,
like – I am winning – but not in the long range.
Is – should be used if change probably won’t happen;
as in – I am always losing – not now and then.

Then I got very bogged down
reading another book with a frown.
I saw this most confusing blurb,
“The is morpheme and its allomorphs are not verbs.”
They are like preverbal complementizer particles.
This is one of some very strange articles.
There is evidence that someone got
which says tá is a verb, but is is not!
Is there semantic evidence,
do you have to take a stance?
Apparently, nominal predicates bear inflexional features.
I think I need a whole set of new teachers!
How to say – this is Irish – I do not know,
and to my learning, this has been a great blow.
All this information about morphemes
has given some very twisted themes.

I went to another book I had found,
hoping to find something more sound.
Here, the adjectives are found with – is.
Tá doesn’t have any – so boo and hiss!
It said the copula is enclitic and will merge.
It sounds suspiciously like a sensual urge!
If it connects with a noun or adjective, it is used,
(and prophylactics should be diffused!)
But, as usual, there are always exceptions
when talking about these Irish connections.
There are a very high number of phonemes,
(probably responsible for many wet dreams!)
But there are not so many graphemes,
(and I don’t want to now blaspheme!)
This has really all spoiled my day,
it is easy from this path to stray.
There are only 18 letters for 66 sounds.
A policy of frugality abounds.
More than three meanings for every letter.
This is exciting, can it get better?
It depends on the position in word and sentence.
No simplicity here, nor any pretence!
Word meaning is also connected to surrounding letters.
A deliberate complication for a student in fetters.

I wasn’t completely gripped by all of this,
I was still trying to work out how to use – is!
It is said reconstructions and changes were used,
and so reliability had been abused.
The explanations given were speculative.
That is something that I will have to forgive.
Don’t even go near the dialects,
it is complicated, as you might expect.
Historically, the language has undergone a shift,
which had probably caused many a rift.
Then I saw the title on the cover of the book,
and I could not bear to look.
This book selected made me feel foolish,
it was actually about Old Irish!
That was from the ninth century A.D.,
I blanked out my mind immediately.
I feel I haven’t understood a thing.
So much for my Irish learning.
This all became terribly muddled
because I was completely befuddled!
Being – in Irish – was not for me.
Gaelic lessons were not to be!