These New Years of Lean
These New Years of Lean
The Elders could still recall the days
when stone ground to dust
was added to pottage
and porridge
to make them more filling.
Limestone was preferable
to granite
not only because it was softer
but better tasting.
Sandstone
both yellow and red
was sprinkled on for colour.
Things never got bad enough
to use bathstone
but slate was popular on Fool’s Day
served to others.
Beach sand could be a condiment
after sifted for pebbles.
Wave-worn shards of bottle
green, red, blue, brown
were confections when
sugared, dried fruit was scarce.
With their toothless gums
the Elders laughed
at the young
and their consternations
at their newly found poverty
after decades of fat, fat years.
After all the young still had black bread
instead of cake,
and sausages instead of steak.
“As long as there’s still free salt in your tears
you have nothing to cry about.”
Patrick Cotter born Cork 1963. Joined the Labour Party at the age of fifteen. At a Labour Youth conference he was restrained by comrades from marching to the podium and calling on the Tainiste Michael O’Leary to resign from the party and join Fine Gael, something O’Leary did years later anyway. Disillusioned with Labour’s frequent couplings with the Blue Shirts in the early 80s Cotter left and was a founding member of the Ecology Party (now the Green Party) attracted by core 1980s Green policies such as the establishment of an unearned income for all and the decentralisation of decision making. He returned to Labour later and is now politically inactive. Among his publications are the poetry titles A Socialist’s Dozen (1990) Perplexed Skin (2008) and Irish Vegetarian Cookery (1993,1995) www.patrickcotter.ie
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Comment by: William Wall
Apr 12th 2011 at 09:04
Bleak and to the point. Brilliant poem.