Ireland - a Divided Island Part Three
kaisers, kings, emperors fight for territory
dispensable bodies left in the ground on foreign soil, unreturned
militarisation of memory and folly
an Irish nation half-wrenched from a bloodied and wearied empire
red royalist hands command the northeastern corner
southern civil war averting greater confrontation in the north
division time-frozen along clumsy county lines
uneasy breathing space for settling down and looking forward
a future disturbed, distorted, deranged
fascist and far-eastern empire building, convulsive harrowing holocaust
humiliation rearmed, racial onslaught
Ireland hunkers down in numbing neutrality, the past still hurting
the north parading cross-water loyalty
deepening links with a not yet fully trusted mainland neighbour
the common cause of war now more apparent
soldiers die in hundreds of thousands, citizens perish in millions
hemmed-in mindsets corralled by northern uplands
the Mournes, Slieve Donard, Carlingford, Gullion and Cuilcagh
the sprawling Sperrins, Trostan and the Slemish plug
Divis and Cave Hill at the back of Belfast, overlooking a city divided
gerry-meandering around in-built majorities
civil wrongs, community suppression, booming priests, long years of strife
walls are built, tit for tat, atrocities shared
para-military vested interest, ...no surrender!...rebel cries!
prevailing winds ameliorate and change direction
European and American knocking of Irish and English heads
to support a coming together of two peoples
on a partitioned island where thoughtful memory moves inexorably
like rivers of time through the Lough Neagh basin
eventually reaching the ocean where geology and giant steps are visible
Lough Foyle heading out beyond a two-named city
to seamless stunning beauty along the Donegal and Antrim coasts
where agreement can still be undermined
storms emanating from English belief in its belittled greatness
seeking to build its own island fortifications
straining Scottish union near point of breaking and self-determination
but the mists of Ireland lift and dissipate
exposing deeds, judgements and hypocrisy of church and narrow people
shafts of sunlight entering young Irish thought
the tectonic journey around the continental mass continues
traverse this island high above the fray below
Lugnaquilla to Galty, Knockmealdown to the Bens of Connemara
Slieve League to Craogh Patrick, Brandon to Binnion
Errigle and Muckish, magnificent sentinels to sad days in Derryveagh
but God, his angels and saints will move aside
as the two Irish minds fly up beyond to explore the heavens
to imagine impossible possibilities
mucky orange and green replaced by a worldly efflorescent blue
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