Irish mom writes a poem for her son. Seven years later, it appears in his English test paper

Picture yourself sitting down in a quiet classroom, flipping over the higher-level English examination paper, and finding a poem explicitly written about you. Well, while most of us would perhaps never experience it, this is exactly what happened with a 15-year-old Coláiste Éinde, Galway, student, Lee Davidson. That is because a poem written by his mother, Emily Cullen, seven years ago, featured on his test paper, Galway Live reported on June 5, 2026.

The surreal moment

Well, it all started on Wednesday, when Cullen noticed a bright smile on her son Lee's face while picking him up from Salthill Secondary School after his English exam. Seeing him, she assumed his paper went well, as most mothers would, of course. However, Cullen soon realized the real reason. "He said, 'Mam, it went great. You won’t believe it, but the poem you wrote about me came up. The one about the chalk. It was just a surreal moment, priceless really," Cullen said. The poem Lee was talking about was one his mom wrote, inspired by him when the boy was only 8. 

Inspiration behind 'Envoi in chalk'

Cullen wrote 'Envoi in chalk,' which even appeared in Leitrim native third poetry collection 'Conditional Perfect’ by Doire Press back in 2019, when she was going through a tough phase. That year, her late mother was in the hospital, and she used to be stressed about her health all the time. But then one fine day, while calling Lee for dinner, Cullen noticed her son had written "The world is great" with chalk on the pavement. Although nothing was going her way back then, that moment and his heartfelt message sparked something inside her. 

The quiet dilemma

Cullen was so inspired that she immediately wrote a poem about her son's beautiful message. Interestingly, her poem soon became famous and even featured in the Irish Times. "It’s a poem that has a bright message in these dark times, and it’s all thanks to Lee," she recalled. Moreover, she told the BBC that she had no idea that her poem would feature in her son's exam, because the questions on the state paper exams are kept confidential. Cullen confessed that her teen son initially considered mentioning that it was his mother's poem in the exams. But he later decided against it, assuming the examiner wouldn't believe him. Well, according to his mother, it was a wise decision. Overall, Lee was quite happy with his examination. 

Kids's influence on parents

Just as Lee inspired Cullen during a tough phase, research (by Ariel Knafo-Noam) found that 50% of the parent respondents agreed that their kids can change their perspective about various issues. Additionally, 68.7% agreed that their kids can alter their outlook on the world. It means, contrary to the common belief that parents often influence their children, the study suggests the younger generation also plays a significant role in shaping their parents' views. 

'The definition of success in every way'

Meanwhile, reacting to the wholesome story, @annlouisemurray commented, "I love this, for her and for him! He inspired his mum, and she was there with him in that exam through her poem. As a mum with a son doing his GCSEs at the moment, it makes me quite emotional!" @honestmum wrote, "This has moved me to tears; what a heartfelt poem and the definition of success in every way: as a parent and writer."

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