I wrote this poem for artists, musicians, singers, poets and writers who have found themselves out of work during the pandemic. We need to value artists and and remember that we need culture for our spirits now more than any other time.
Take heed when theatres close their doors
And cinemas are shut
When libraries are hazardous
And exhibitions cut
Yes cry when dancing endangers life
But rugby scrums are fine
When GAA teams roam the country
But artists stand in line
In line for grants and social welfare
As all their income’s cut
And everything deemed culture
Is vilified and shut
There’s something in the sharing
Of culture that runs deep
With screens there is an absence
We remember in our sleep
We dream of crowds at concerts
Of the magic and the spark
The beaming smiles around us
As we sway together in the dark
We remember when we used to sing
The rebel songs at night
In rambling houses down boreens
Until morning brought its light
It was through keening at the grave
That broken hearts found peace
The fiddle brought us jigs and reels
And legs that did not cease
To pound the floor in rhythm
Swinging partners round and round
And breathless waiting for a break
To the wild infectious sound
Our bones are filled with rhythm
Our hearts they seek the words
In the absence of our singing
We now rely on birds
This time 100 years ago
Our country was at war
But poets kept our hearts alight
Until our spirits could restore
We’re not just the land of saints and scholars
But of music, art and rhyme
We need culture for our spirits
Now more than any other time
©Lisa Fingleton 2021