Tuesday, March 17, 2009

A St. Patrick's Day Poem

I thought, like a lot of you, that the "troubles" would finally be over. As we've seen lately, I don't think so. Anyway, here's a poem from college for St. Patrick's Day:

St. Patrick’s Day

We’re comin through the clover fields
beneath God’s purple sky.
We’re marchin through the city streets,
the Cathlicks soon will die.

In Erin past, a pretty lass
could turn a young gent’s eye.
But now that’s done, and only guns
can make a young boy die.

Now stompin’ down on Danny Boy,
we’re kicking out his knees.
We praise our maker and our land,
we fight to bring all peace.

In Erin past, a pretty lass
could turn a young gent’s eye.
But now that’s done, and only guns
can make a young boy die.

In orange and green, a war machine,
we fight the bloody war.
We kill our foes, especially those
who ask what is this for?

In Erin past, a pretty lass
could turn a young gent’s eye.
But now that’s done, and only guns
can make a young boy die.

Our Emerald Isle is burned and choked
by bombings and by hate.
We fight to enter heaven first
and turn back at the gate.

In Erin past, a pretty lass
could turn a young gent’s eye.
But now that’s done, and only guns
can make a young boy die.

4 comments:

Kirby Olson said...

Is it an endorsement?

I thought you were anti-war.

G. M. Palmer said...

It's not an endorsement -- and I am anti-war.

I do find it interesting that my anti-war poems (like this or 1779 -- that you've read) could be misinterpreted as pro-violence.

My intention (road to Hell, wut?) with them is to show the naked violence of war and how it's less than pleasant -- I sure hope that "St. Patrick's Day" doesn't inspire nostalgia. . . the violence and feelings it presents are supposed to inspire nausea.

Kirby Olson said...

They made me want to go out and beat someone up. I thought they were supposed to inspire that.

I've never actually hit anyone in my life, and yet, your poem made me feel like doing it.

Poems can backfire, I guess.

Or maybe it's just me.

G. M. Palmer said...

Dunno --
maybe if they inspire such thoughts, they'll get people to realize how wrong the thoughts are

either that or I'm unknowingly shilling for the devil.

D'oh!