Ferryman and His Fare

Poetry from Tomás Ó Cárthaigh

 

 

Written by Tomás Ó Cárthaigh

They take the boat to England,

Destination and attitudes have little change

To cover up the act of love

Family pride retain, hide the shame.

Before they’d never be heard of again
Have their child and disappear
Now the child’s aborted, never heard of again
Unknown, unmarked, the anniversary each year.

 

But family honour is retained,

No one knows, there is no shame

Why should their be shame in a love child?

That never knew birth or death cert or name?

 

For the children of those who in Ireland stayed

Sent to a jail in all but name by society

Children sold or starved to death by folk of the cloth

Who professed charity and piety.

The skeletons from the closet fall,

Not metaphorically, literally in a sewerage tank

Reality stares us in the face,

Our history, the truth, clear, frank.

We cannot blame the English

For all these children who have died

This was our own doing

A manifestation of pride.

 

Whatever we do to the weakest,

Christ said, that you do to me…

What judgment awaits society and these

Evil Sisters When they Judgment Day they see!

 

 

Author's Note: Again, this is from a pro life point of view, and not intended to provoke a debate on the choice argument and issue. Its intended to explore the issue of shame around love children – for whom there should be NO shame, as all life is equal no matter how conceived – and today among some of my friends locally who are pro choice, instead of where anyone can see reason even if they don’t actually agree, grey area cases such as rape, etc., – my friends locally see it as a good way to prevent family shame about being a single mother. Its the shame issue that saw the homes come to being in the first place, not taking the blame away from the church, but society too has its share of the blame, and that is the sin of pride for those who approach such issues on a faith basis

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