The Party
“Good ‘eavens Missus Murphy
Who’s bringin Kevin to dis party?
He just got out tha clinker,
I don’t mean t’ be a stinker
But OY OY, what’s wid that boy?”
“Mr O Flaherty it is without regret you see
That I am young Kevin’s aunty
And his poor mother Kathleen
Suffering poorly and now unseen
She asked of me, to continue guardianship duty.”
“Ay Ay, I see’s 'Tis your duty indeed
The lads been a handful and takes no heed
Often I seen him wid me, very own eyes
Stealin’ from the likes of those upper crust guys
Twas only time before he was caught
Brazen as daylight, he seemed to care naught.”
“This party today is for Kevin, did you know?
Mr O Flaherty I realise, we reap what we sow
Kevin was a young lad when Kathleen got sick
His father had left her long before, when she, a mere whip-stick
And Kevin just a toddler in tow,
Poor Kathleen tried hard to keep up a good show”
“Aye Missus Murphy, I remember it well
That old man of Kathleen’s, he acted so swell
Poor woman I didn't know how she fared
That poor lil kid and she, were always so scared
'Twas good riddens when he finally went,
She was tired and looked so frightfully spent.”
“Correct you are Mr O Flaherty
A dastardly fellow he surely be
Kathleen managed as best she ever could
Kevin so young, never understood
Why at night his mother weak and worn
Would cry and say”, “Kevin, All will be better by the morn”
“Ay Ay, Missus Murphy I know it was tough
I know poor Kathleen had been through enough
But I still didn't ev-er understand
How young Kevin got so 'out O hand.'
I 'd scratches me head everyday, wondering wot ta do or say.”
“Mr O Flaherty Kevin stole food for them both to eat
Kathleen and Kevin, we did not know at the time, ate not even meat,
No food at all, so hard it be, Kevin stole, through necessity.
Most turned a blind eye until ...one day,
A new constable came this way and took young Kevin far away.”
“It was rumoured that in the clink he be..
Did ya know that Missus Murphy?"
"Aye I did Mr O Flaherty, but nigh that was not to be
Young Kevin was kept at the kind constables home
Sent to school to learn and showed how to earn.”
"Well! Well! Missus Murphy I’d ne’er have known
Twas only today I heard of the party and him comin’ on ‘ome."
"Praise! be! Mr O Flaherty this is! Kevin’s home coming party.
Now raise your mug for a toast,
Because Our Kevin has just been given a post
As our very new officer at the constabulary,
And it is your daughter who he wants to marry.
“Oh Gawd, Glory be, I'm shocked, Aye that I be
Cause I didn't’t even know that my Mary even felt so
She has been working in the city for a year or more now
An’ ya know Missus Murphy?
She said she met erself an Alfy
An ..Ne’er in a million years..
Would I have thought he be, Kevin Alfy...Spears.”
“Ahh! a surprise Mr O Flaherty?
And I think very soon together, we shall all be.”
Milli 7/8/2008
Poetry Wednesday Tour Starts Here.
Thank you Milli for your beautiful comment on my poetry blog. You are really a great poet and you have presented such a marvelous poem written by you. I like it very much. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWell my last has been lost so I will just say
ReplyDeleteWell done
:).. Stolen out of necessity.. Thank god for the Kind Constable. :). Nicely put the snapshot of life.
ReplyDeleteI have read it twice, as usual, whenever I visit your page on poetry! You are great, Milli. You always write as if it were a river flowing smoothly towards its mouth. I love your way!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you did a visit to my page and liked the poem by Ruy Belo. Thanks.
You are so very talented, I wisH I could write like that! It is very apparent your heart is in it! Lovely photo by the way...
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting mine!
I loved the flow and verbage. I could hear the dialect in my mind. What a great expression.
ReplyDeleteTerrific use of language, straight out of theater, terrific biography. I feel like I am listening in to a conversation over the fence or near me in a restaurant. Just great, you nailed it! Great job, Mil!
ReplyDeleteI had to read it a couple of times to get the flow and like Sue think it sounds very much like two old crones gossiping over the fence...it's great piece of work.
ReplyDeletethank you to all for your kind comments. Just as an aside here, how unusual it is to try to write in another dialect. It actually becomes quite challenging to place it on paper so to speak. Missus Murphy and Mr O Flaherty's conversations reverberate in my mind down to their last lilt.
ReplyDeleteHowever getting that into writing is such a challenge as I found out. To anyone who had to read this more than once I would agree it is best read more than once and if you can even read it aloud with the emphasis on accents and expression then I think the piece actually comes more alive. Theatrical...yes. If anyone wishes to recite this poem for me in audio And place it here, then I would be thrilled.
Hi milli ! I loved your poem !
ReplyDeletei wish that could be thank you!
ReplyDeleteLovely, I love those musical poems, the ones we can hear in our head as we read. Poor Mr. O Flaherty, I thought in denial he be.
ReplyDelete