Ireland

Photo by Ainars Djatlevskis on Unsplash

I celebrate, with the world over, 
on this day above all others,
St. Patrick's Day, driver of snakes,
as we all claim roots on that isle.

The land of my mothers,
my mother, her mother, 
and a line going back into history, 
born of that place.

With its horses and emerald green grass 
that spreads as though they were velvet,
and the towering cliffs, that crumble to the sea,
birds nesting and taking flight over that water.

But not let us not forget,
the hardships our people found,
the hunger, and heartache at leaving
but the need for food never greater than pride,

for we do not forget our roots, 
whether it be one generation back or a dozen,
on this day, we are all home once more,
with the ancestors who birthed, and set us free.

©️ Emma Steel