Irish-English Poem by Douglas Scotney

Douglas Scotney

Douglas Scotney

Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. Resides in Adelaide

Irish-English



Having stolen all the goods and gone,
The English are back in Ireland
Seeking the good of man
In folksong of the past.
Irish in academia
Have left the country behind
Preferring to live where the air comes in,
Leave the stench to the English mind.
It's neither one thing nor another
But a blend that works the best,
But when it comes to English-Irish
The latter think the opposite's blessed.
Living by the nostrils the Irish whiff the past,
'The English they can have it. By the future we are cast.'

POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
A thought on sectarian strife inspired by the Hamlet episode in 'Ulysses'. Haines, the Englishman, has gone off to buy a copy of 'Folksongs of Connacht' rather than take part in the conversation about Shakespeare as Hamlet's father's ghost.
It's about 1904. I'll try an update one day.
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Danny Draper 03 August 2012

Nice write and another elucidation on the Ulysses tale and culture.

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Douglas Scotney

Douglas Scotney

Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. Resides in Adelaide
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