The Famine Ship - a Smile Born At Last

- Terence a Griffiths of Tyrone or Leitrim! Did he know but later of 1820 he would be there born A Flax Grower a renter from landlords of Lord Leitrim's domain To thresh and sack and cloth and sow by wife and all but slavery go A brother Bartholemew younger and two rented fields up They toiled and cut their respective Dromahair tracks for family food and church Imagined home of limestone scraw and thatch and little more To Him and Mary had children born but died and died but - James a smile born at last Year of 42 destined of birth and life much the same With toil and despair like all the rest of this peopled land A famine near but river trout and oats and eggs kept going without the potato plant Blyte and desperation spared on none but those ready those prepared Not prepared evicted on the lonely green lined road and board of works pittance For those a fraction better or more a trip to port and bay to look across the sea Without a family to meet or lodgings to lay The night before a sorrowful wake of music and porter barrel there With food and tears and pennies off never to see no more Terence proud and sad James he sends America to go And send some money home to mother to lowly sons She creaks and breaks and steers the stomach Up and down the drains of hungers pains The deck to break of wave and sounds and New Amsterdam emerge Better lands and money sent home to purchase 20 Acres and 2 roods no more Never to return is not true. A loyal James to Landlord downed and to family too He roots and spreads and family bear and atained a generation there But cannot see to bear another ship for those he knows and hates the family split A neighbour lined up at the poor house and green lane go. He can stand no more And sacks the postman's bag with others and throws the notice to the ditch The brutal notice of postman's summons blocks arrests the rabble and gaols the mob I saw the picture of Limerick gaol a bowler hat not there but pride Pride in a smile. - James a smile born at last.