You could say:
‘They came, they saw, they conquered’
but that would not explain
how they survived
how they thrived
Goodbye
Farewell
So long…
bright
light
skies
until…
New skies
grey – fog – smog
drizzle
Closed shores
‘No Irish, no dogs, no Blacks’
Closed doors
Closed minds
but buoyed
by memories
Friends
Associates
Communities emerged
Strong
bold
determined
to make a good life
to make life good
to bring about change
Like others before
them
who came, saw and conquered
The Mother Land
Yes! You’ve hit the nail squarely on the head. “closed doors – closed minds” indeed.
I’ve encountered anti-Irish prejudice myself ( although not often) but I’ve never considered Britain to be the Mother Land.
Good work, Myrna.
Cheers,
Bill
Thanks Bill. My parents generation were part of the British Empire and therefore encouraged to see Britain as the Mother Country. The adverts they responded to in Jamaica 1939 – 1960’s were all about ‘coming home’.
A very powerful poem Myrna. I lived in Shepherds’ Bush bedsit land in my late teens and most of my neighbours were either Irish of West Indian. As Bill says, I don’t think the Irish thought of England as the mother land! Many of the West Indians did though and many were disillusioned by then, the early 60s. But everyone was friendly and so alive! Apart from the occasional Saturday night punch up everyone got on pretty well!
Thanks Terry. That’s how I recall my parents talking about it too. They lived in Balham, in the 50’s. They had Irish friends ; the kinship of the oppressed, maybe. There were a number of weddings. Although they were shocked by the ‘welcome’ they just got on with it, intending to only stay for 5 years which turned out to be 40!