I was reminded of this poem during the week and given that I’ve moved back to the area I might as well add it to my blog 🙂
Church in ruins, stone on the ground
Grass, weed and thistles all around
Ivy, dark green, covers the wall
Rooks overhead, send out a call
Headstones scattered. No structure in place
Some without names, no family can trace
Plenty of children the hard life did take
Many’s her baby a mother did wake
Once there was stone, where now there is grass
Years past it thronged, while the priest said the mass
The people they walked, some a very long way
To hear the lords prayer, what he did say
The laughter of young ones running about
Must have been joyous, when mass was all out
The men all discussing the news of the day
“Was the crop good?”, “did you bring in the hay?”
Welcoming women, trading stories of life
How it was passing as mother and wife
They pledged their wares, a hen for some spuds
A pig and a donkey, whatever your goods
They baptised their children soon after birth
Married for love, set up home and hearth
They buried their dead, they wept at the grave
To ritual and ceremony, all were a slave
Reading the headstones, many my kin
Were they buried, fearing their sin
Fear of God and his mighty wrath
Obeying commandments, staying on the right path
Now it is silent, no children in sight
No couples about, setting out flight
The dead they are sleeping under the soil
Mere clues to their years of blood, sweat and toil
Theresa O’Donohoe April 2013
TheresaOD.com 