eIrelander Contest Submission - The Fate of Young Johnny
Violence Seth
This poem is my submission for the Ministry of Community's competition.
It's a poem/lyric about a story my Grandmother told me and my siblings when we were young. I'm not sure if it's true or not but it was always the same each year she told us it sitting by the fire in a cottage in Tullycross, Co. Galway.
The Fate of Young Johnny
There was a manor deep in Joyce land country
Were a Lord and Lady lived in harmony
They dined on rich foods daily in their dining hall
and had their servants bring them Indian tea
While they watched the sunset off their balcony
But oh their poor servants and their families
Were dying with their hunger and their plight
So as the day was ending there stood young Johnny
Making sure that he had his plan alright
Then he headed through the gale of the howling night
He waited dripping wet in the Lady's wardrobe
And held three yards of rope behind his back
As he heard the Lady's footsteps in the corridor
He readied his poor self for his attack
Oh he readied his scared self for his attack
He carried her wrapped tightly to the woodland
And she wriggled and she struggled all the way
He dropped her down and this is what he told her
This is what young Johnny had to say
I'm sorry ma'am but there is no other way
The Lord of the Manor found a letter
And in his fury he swiped his table clear
A thousand for the safe return of his Lady
And in his eyes there shone his angry tears
And in his mind lurked the shadow of his fears
The Lord called his guardsmen to his quarters
And ordered them scourge the town land red
Return to him his one and only lover
Find her captors and hang them 'til there dead
And pluck their sinful eyes from out their head
Young Johnny seen a glow down in the town land
And women’s cries where carried on the breeze
Young Johnny told the lady to keep silent
For men were searching for them through the trees
He held her mouth to stifle out her pleas
They found Young Johnny holding the fair Lady
With a dagger he held shaking in his hand
A thousand or she gets it, don't you test me
A thousand and safe passage through the land
And a boat awaiting me on Renvyles sand
They took poor shaking Johnny from behind him
And carried him out screaming through the gloom
He seen the burning homes of all his people
And seen the hanging rope that was his doom
And seen the hangman’s grin that was his doom
Then the Lord and the Lady were reunited
And together they both lived unquiet lives
In the daylight they heard their servants whispers
And dead of silence when the night arrived
Deadly silence when the dark of night arrived
Comments
Oh wow.
You were so blessed to have a granny to tell you these stories. Such a rich history the true Irish have.
Thanks 🙂
She always made the end so creepy. She could truly hypnotize you with a story, God rest her.
Thanks Sethesin!
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Cheers Burke, glad to see you back in eIreland 🙂
This is really nice read!
i can remember the lad he was quite tasty
Oh yeah, that's right, you love tasty lads.
my staple is pirates but the occasional nefarious youth also goes down well. it all depend on the wine. here is a secret one would think pirates like fish white wine but red wine much much better.
You are one strange cephalopod RTK
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🐐 o/
woof
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🐐 o/
🐐 😃
🐐 ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ )
Just amazing!
Nice article!
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voted
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not my password
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Voted!
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V.
Quaaality as always mate, keep em coming
Cheers man! 🙂
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Nice
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Great stuff!
o7
Balls