Ratification

by Jamie Brown

Watching on in despair
I take count of votes
to change our very nation

Members agree and disagree
the tense scene is unfolding

The count is in,
the chamber goes
Silent, the Speaker conferring

He announces:
“The Treaty is ratified”
Some erupt, others cheer

The outcome is clear.

Reproduced with kind permission of the author. This poem was composed in a Poetry as Commemoration workshops held at The Jackie Clarke Collection, Mayo, with students from St. Murdach’s College, Ballina, in October 2023.  The workshop was led by writer Martin Dyer.