across the green mounds
gazing towards the sea
Where Grace,
atop the emerald dew
spit at the English queen
and sent her galleons
to the bottom
of the deep blue sea
How shall I tell
your spirit
from the ghosts
that roam this haunted hill
like the breeze that parts
the flax down below
Mary by the river
Mary by the shore
Mary by the sea
Mary underneath it all
Mary lying next to me
Mary evergreen.
Talking to good King Underhill
all tattered silk and bone,
For I am now
and you were when
it broke upon the shore
upon the rocks
upon the shore
upon the door
good King Underhill
raps his bony wrist
upon the stone
and sparks fly,
tender kindling
tender all that is due
underneath the dew
underneath the green
the bier
beneath it all
down beside King Underhill
in Tara's golden hall
where everything
is nothing much at all.
Níl aon tintéan mar do thintéan féin,
a ghrá mo chroí.
Author notes
For St. Paddy's Day, and the Ireland in us all.
Written March 14th, 2004
In a list
What did you think
Comments
1 - 25 of 25
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I saw this featured earlier and I was on my way out...but I noticed it because it has my name in the title
A nice, festive poem for today.
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just heartwarming
loved the flow of your poem and the imagery that it brings to mind. i also love the background with the wildflowers because it goes perfectly with your piece -
As a Englishman I feel unnecessarily offended and abused, and therefore conclude that the poem is rubbish
However, as a son of the earth and a brother to you all, I think it's great. Keep writing, cos I love your stuff (how very English!)
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The Ireland in me sings ...
with you a song which belongs somehow to us all. As you intended, most definitely.
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boy i'll have to remember this one come 3/17
i always liked this
i miss reading your old poems like i used to
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This made me think of Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (good book)... probably because of the mention of Grace and of Mary.. and Ireland
But also made me smile with the pleasure of reading true poetry - something harder and harder to find :/
~Scarlet -
very good
Being distinctly Irish of course I love it. Weird kind of free verse, but what the heck it added somhow to the free lilt that makes the poem what it is. And of course spitting on the English. I won't go there but you know what I'm thinking. I enjoyed reading Thanks.
Curtain
Ladie -
The title drew me in, because I absolutely LOVE Gone with the Wind, and if you've seen it, her plantation was named Tara...Of course, you also could've meant 'terra,' which means earth in latin. Anyway, this is a beautiful poem and I am thrilled I read it.
!~YS4e~!
Scarlett -
I read it the first time thru with my bland midwest american voice in my head. Then I re-read it with the sound of my Uncle's voice in my head (gruff Irish lilting voice) and it brought me back to sitting around the fire with a cup of tea, and the men smelling of pipe smoke telling folk tales. Thanks for the memory.
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This is great, reading this poem I was envisioning a great green land, but in an older time of the kings and queens. It would have been great to have seen the world as it was in that era but I wouldnt have liked to live in those times myself. Great write Lute.
-thehittmann -
excellent piece
Wow!!!
This piece just captured me with each and every line you so amazingly penned, and I had a great day today, and I needed this to top it off, I'm so happy I clicked on this featured poem, I'm going to have to keep my eye out for you! 
You have some real atalent, thanks for sharing it here!
Keep up the great works, pen on!
-Timothy
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This poem was a great poem! MY favorite lines were:
underneath the dew
underneath the green
the bier
beneath it all
down beside King Underhill
in Tara's golden hall
where everything
is nothing much at all.
I loved the entire basicly but the only thing was I didn't understand the "Mary" Part but the rest of the poem was great and also the flowers go perfectly with you poem. -
great
Love this poem "beautiful".Name is nice to.Ireland is very nice place,I hope to go their one day.Great job and happy St.Patricks day. You can check out some my work if you like.It's ok just started though. -
how grand we all appear in green! LOL
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A beautiful poem.
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besides from being a beautiful write, i'm a huge fan of anyone spitting on the english.
being a scott, i will do something i've only heard once before.
i freely admit that the celts brought the grand pipes and plaid to the brutish picts.
happy st. pats -
This is a lovely mystical poem. I have always wanted to go, this only makes me want to go more. I really liked the Mary stanza it was intriguing. And i loved the descriptive work in this. Overall it's a really enjoyable poem. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
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outstanding
I get to be Irish only on St. Patrick's Day and I wear green. This is a lovely poen and certainly up to the extremely talented poetry of Ireland. Outstanding job. -
Very nice write, I enjoyed reading it...good work..thanks for sharing
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I remember the last St. Patricks day I spent in Ireland, half the day in church and the other half hitting the bars. I was the designated driver of 5 brothers who were three sheets to the wind. It was grand.
I rather like the Mary stanza myself and spitting at the English queen makes me smile.
Tabhair póg dom, táim Éireannach
jenna
Edited on Mar 17 because ''. -
lovely
very nicely done. this flows really nicely and the imagery is just lovely. it reads with such feeling and the story is really very good. i feel like this could almost be turned into a song... and i would listen to it i really enjoyed this. well done to you.
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Shit stirrer? Part of the potion? Hope not that would stink. Despite Tony El Great's comments I happen to think the Mary stanzas are quite lovely and even lyrical, yes. Sure, makes me hungry and hear Dennis playing the pipes which reminds me of Eric who of course never wore underwear while marching in the parade in NYC and all those damn green beers at Caroline's brother's pub, Brady's in Manhattan which of course meant we never made the last bus back to Jersey...thank goodness there are a million of those guys...nice trilute i mean tribute.
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Irrie Eyes
I know about the English dew spit thing, but this spirit introduced floating around throws me, and much of the Isle is Catholic but the Mary thing distracts me, and don't get the point with King Underhill: lets face it, I'm lost. But Ireland is a pretty place it is, and being I'm ¼ Irish myself, I'll be putt'n on the green. -
I love Ireland. I have been twice, and it is there where I felt most alive. Of course Irish poetry pisses on English poetry from a great height, and it was always so, I think. I wish Yeats had lived to read this, so damned lyrical.
<--- go on then, you old shit-stirrer.
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Next request......finish it.
Finished product was well worth the wait. Gorgeous and yes I agree, Níl aon tintéan mar do thintéan féin.
h-aileann
Desiree
Edited on Mar 16, 8:30 p.m. because ''.
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