Flags

by Richie Keane

Fragments of history,

Stories whispered.

Which side was your family on?

Loyal or Rebel?

Crown or Harp?

Protestant or Catholic?

The contours of geography,

The topography of cartography,

The Limerick Soviet and Lockout 

Throws a spanner in the works

Or is that a hammer and sickle?

Gaeilge and English,

Misunderstandings and miscommunication,

Empire and Republic 

Built on class, race and gender.

Flags on the pan won’t feed a hungry child.

Reproduced with kind permission of the author. Richie Keane is a member of the Fatima Poetry Vigilantes. This poem was composed in a Poetry as Commemoration workshop led by Catherine Ann Cullen in July 2022.