The house of the brave is creaking
Cinnamon Hitler stalks the halls
A demigod armed with hammer and chisel
To etch the words of independence
From the Founder stone
Leaving faceless hieroglyphics
of former pharaohs
Blank and meaningless
The divided land
Witnesses the distress flare
Red and twinkling
Eye of the Cyclops
Devourer of men
All windows boarded against
Nonviolent protesters
No Justice No Peace!
And the counting continues
Till all is burnt to ash
But the sun still rises
The sky will not fall
Oh say can you see
In the land of the free
____________________________________________________________________
Song
by Kenneth Hickey
Bio- Kenneth Hickey was born in 1975 in Cobh, Co. Cork Ireland. He served in the Irish Naval Service between 1993 and 2000. His poetry and prose have been published in various literary journals in Ireland, the UK and the United States, including Southword, Crannoig, THE SHOP, A New Ulster, Aesthetica Magazine, and The Great American Poetry Show. His writing for theatre has been performed in Ireland, the UK, New York, and Paris. He has won the Eamon Keane Full Length Play Award and has been shortlisted for The PJ O’Connor Award and the Tony Doyle Bursary. He was shortlisted for the Bournmouth Poetry Prize in 2022. He has been selected for the Poetry in the Park project and awarded a poetry mentorship by Munster Literature Centre. His work in film has been screened at the Cork and Foyle Film Festivals. He holds a BA and MA in English Literature, both from University College Cork. His debut collection, ‘The Unicycle Paradox’ was published by Revival Press in November 2021. He still resides in Cork.
Follow Kenneth at:
Twitter: @hickeyken Instagram: @kjh_poetry
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kenhickeycork
