PIE IN THE SKY
My children are awakened
Confused and Distressed
If only those helicopters
Would give it a rest
Hovering over rooftops loud
In the dark of night
How long will it last? Will it last?
Until the morning light.
P. M. G.
YESTERDAY WAS THAT DAY
Help me, Help me, I have been robbed.
All that I ever stood for
Has been taken from me this day
My self esteem, my civil rights, my
opinion and what I say
Sure I see a dark cloud hovering
Where once there was sunshine
For today the Orangemen walked the road
And took with them all that was mine.
Their feet tramped hard and their music loud
Their sashes orange as flames
We’ll walk where ever the hell we like
For your Resident’s group is to blame.
As they walked in line together
With victory in their eyes
Behind it all on that dark dark day
They just ignored our cries.
P.M.G.
ACROSTICS - -P.M.G.
G roans and moans
A re the sounds that we hear
R oving reporters
V oices of fear
A ll under siege
G rounded for days
H elicopters at bay
Y ee brethren are on their way
R aging armed men
U nited in their hatred and domination of
C atholics.
O stracize Catholics
R eign supreme
A rmy of bigots
N o Nationalist welcomed
G enerate fear
E very year Every generation
O range Order
R e-route / No!
D epredators
E ngage in dialogue / No!
R eason rather than madness / No!
DRUMCREE
Drumcree Drumcree
Why must this be
You stole our rights
but not our pride
What did you think, that we would hide?
We shall stand side by side
No more hiding behind closed doors.
You marched before.
Now we want no more.
No more the sound of marching feet
do we want to hear down our street
For we do not need another Drumcree.
--Claire
WILL I LEAVE OR WILL I STAY?
Will I leave or will I stay?
Will the Orange men get down our way?
All these thoughts running around my head.
Will there be rioting?
People beaten off the road?
Feelings of guilt running through my mind,
at leaving my community behind.
No, I’ll stay,
And hope that everything goes okay.
--Ann
DRUMCREE 97
Shouting.
Crying.
Praying.
Cursing.
Shoving.
Kicking.
Thumping.
Dragging.
Ambulance Sirens.
Police Sirens.
Army feet Tramping.
Community Sobbing.
Bin lids crashing.
Children weeping.
Orange Order walking.
--Philomena
ORANGE ORDERS
Give up, Give up,
is ringing in my ear
Stay in your ghetto
and live with your fear
Take what we give you.
For it’s all you deserve
Shut up and put up
and don’t you dare protest.
--Claire
NAKED FROM WITHIN
We have been left helpless
Do we exist
We once got off our knees
But now we are on our backs
We have been raped and stripped of our clothes
The nakedness we can hide from the outside,
Inside we are raw and naked
And ready to snap,
Were can we go from here
How much more can we take
Where is our equality
Do we have any rights
Now we are a hurt people
And how do we heal
--Claire