Acorn Live: [acornlive] "Hard Cheese" by Liam Ronan

[acornlive] "Hard Cheese" by Liam Ronan

Liam Ronan

acornlive@dublinwriters.org

Sun, 4 Mar 2001 18:38:45 -0000

This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_044F_01C0A4DA.582ACE40 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Ok, Chris. By way of preface for those living elsewhere, Ireland today has the = fastest growing economy in the European Union. This is a relatively = recent development. As might be expected with the influx of sudden = wealth and technologies, a certain accelerated state of anomie has crept = into the culture; similar, perhaps to Herman Hesse's "Steppenwolf" = adrift in the dissolving Germany of the 1920's. Stress fractures are = everywhere within Irish society; traditional and new values profoundly = at odds. The poem, "Hard Cheese" (humorous on first reading), is intended to = portray the alienation and division (generally east/west) creeping into = segments of modern Irish life and the impatience with which new = materialistic Ireland expectantly awaits the passing of the old rural = Eire (with a surprising twist). Hope you enjoy them. Regards, Liam Ronan=20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------- Hard Cheese by Liam Ronan Another season come and gone! Why the deuce does that heifer hold on? All my prayers over and over; (God knows I'm not in clover!) kneeling's pure purgatory for me; damn knackered knee.=20 Rats! Hard cheese! That property's mine; well, will be sometime (wants just bits and pieces; artex for the wall creases and, who can tell, maybe bore a well. Mustn't overdo it though! =91Traditional look' fetches the tasty dough) but, meantime it can't be sold till she catches cold or; has a slip or; breaks a hip or; finds the grace=20 to fix her face on the heavenly place. Rats! Hard cheese! So, I thought I'd try=20 a little pop-by=20 (just a look-see); maybe she's dropped; died out of decency;=20 but now, for sure this unbolted door; that bellowing snore; those sour cottage smells, the chamber pot; and, gels, urine, naphthalene; sadly, must mean Granny's not snuffed it. Today. Yet. Rats! Hard Cheese! Maw tossed back, slack; black gums bared chewing a cud of air; wattled in her wicker chair=20 the old cow moves her brown speckled hooves folded on her lap to clasp at... Claptrap! ...those cheap and nasty choppers which, at their grazing best, couldn't gnaw through a pat of butter. Rats! Hard Cheese! Jeez!=20 Would you ever look at=20 that scarperin' all fat=20 in her rubbish tip? Vermin! Waiting on a flip of flying garbage which,=20 in Grandmoo's dotage never fails to sail out the door; or crash land=20 on the floor. Please do tell how the hell am I ever to sell this manger of mushy peas; with galloping garden=20 of disease? Rats! Hard Cheese! All right. Fine! Bought her some strychnine. "One pest at a time," was all she said. A week gone; not one rat dead! Blast her bovine memory; though now I see she=20 still spares a thought for me; setting out this luxury; a fine piece of cheddar, for the favourite granddaughter. Still, I'll give her a fright just after a bite. Shake her; wake her; shock alone should take her. Ach! My! What a bitter flavour! Rrraatsh! Hhhaard cheeeee.... -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------- ------=_NextPart_000_044F_01C0A4DA.582ACE40 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">

Ok, Chris.

By way of preface for those living = elsewhere,=20 Ireland today has the fastest growing economy in the European Union. = This is a=20 relatively recent development. As might be expected with the influx of = sudden=20 wealth and technologies, a certain accelerated state of anomie has crept = into=20 the culture; similar, perhaps to Herman Hesse's "Steppenwolf" adrift in = the=20 dissolving Germany of the 1920's. Stress fractures are everywhere within = Irish=20 society; traditional and new values profoundly at odds.

The poem, "Hard Cheese" (humorous = on first=20 reading), is intended to portray the alienation and division = (generally=20 east/west) creeping into segments of modern Irish life and the = impatience with=20 which new materialistic Ireland expectantly awaits the passing of the = old=20 rural Eire (with a surprising twist).

Hope you enjoy them.

Regards,

Liam Ronan

Hard=20 Cheese
by Liam Ronan

Another=20 season come and gone!
Why the deuce does
that heifer hold = on?
All my=20 prayers
over and over;
(God knows I'm not
in = clover!)
kneeling's=20 pure purgatory
for me;
damn knackered knee.
Rats!
Hard=20 cheese!
That property's mine;
well, will be
sometime
(wants = just=20 bits and pieces;
artex for the wall creases
and, who can = tell,
maybe=20 bore a well.
Mustn't overdo it though!
=91Traditional = look'
fetches the=20 tasty dough)
but, meantime
it can't be sold
till she catches = cold=20 or;
has a slip or;
breaks a hip or;
finds the grace
to fix = her=20 face
on the heavenly place.
Rats!
Hard cheese!
So, I thought = I'd try=20
a little pop-by
(just a look-see);
maybe she's dropped; = died
out=20 of decency;
but now, for sure
this unbolted=20 door;
that bellowing = snore;
those sour=20 cottage smells,
the chamber pot; and, gels,
urine, = naphthalene;
sadly,=20 must mean
Granny's not snuffed it.
Today. Yet.
Rats!
Hard=20 Cheese!
Maw tossed back,
slack; black
gums = bared
chewing a cud=20 of air;
wattled in her wicker chair
the old cow moves
her = brown=20 speckled hooves
folded on her lap
to clasp = at...
Claptrap!
...those=20 cheap
and nasty choppers
which, at their grazing best,
couldn't = gnaw
through a pat of butter.
Rats!
Hard Cheese!
Jeez! =
Would you=20 ever look at
that scarperin' all fat
in her rubbish = tip?
Vermin!=20 Waiting on a flip
of flying garbage which,
in Grandmoo's = dotage
never=20 fails
to sail
out the door;
or crash land
on the=20 floor.
Please do tell
how the hell
am I ever to sell
this = manger of=20 mushy peas;
with galloping garden
of disease?
Rats!
Hard=20 Cheese!
All right. Fine!
Bought her some strychnine.
"One pest = at a=20 time,"
was all she said.
A week gone; not one rat dead!
Blast = her=20 bovine memory;
though now I see she
still spares a thought for=20 me;
setting out this luxury;
a fine piece of cheddar,
for = the=20 favourite granddaughter.
Still, I'll give her a fright
just after = a=20 bite.
Shake her; wake her;
shock alone should take her.
Ach! = My! What a=20 bitter flavour!
Rrraatsh!
Hhhaard cheeeee....