Wear an Easter Lily

I wrote this poem a long time ago, and thought what better forum to share than this. I dedicate the poem to those who have died in the struggle for Irish freedom, and to those who are struggling to keep peace a reality in Ireland.

An T-oilean a Gcuireann Muid Eireann Air (The Island we call Ireland)

The day you were born the heavens rang with cheer,
they lamented when you died.
All Hell broke loose
FAMINE RAGED!
WAR DESTROYED!
POVERTY REIGNED!
DEATH TOLLED ITS BELLS!
But through it all,
through the barricades and boundaries,
the hate,
the lies,
the torture,
the sadness,
the weeping,
the senselessness,
you saw the beauty in your people,
and know that when you rise again, this pain will end.
With this hope they struggle on till that
day when Freedom comes.

Martin Devlin