Wearing the Green: Poems of Irish Memory and Voice by Mark Sconce
These three poems celebrate Ireland’s literary spirit through humor, homage, and history. They honor poets, rebellion, and the enduring cultural power of words, especially when language becomes an act of identity and resistance.
A long-time contributor to El Ojo del Lago, Mark Sconce is an American poet whose work is one facet of a wide-ranging career. His poems blend wit, rhyme, and cultural history, often drawing on literary tradition, folklore, and gentle satire.
Behold! St. Patrick’s Day
If Ireland sinks into the sea
Her poets will emerge
To sing the song of Innisfree
And not a funeral dirge.
The poets of the Emerald Isle
Unite St. Patrick’s Day
To give the Irish face a smile
Before they kneel to pray.
The island of poetic greats,
Masters of the metaphor,
Oscar Wilde, Butler Yeats,
Seamus Heaney, Thomas Moore.
******
Saint Patrick’s Place
Let us now praise Irish lads
Who put their pens to paper.
Imaginations at the flood,
Extracting thoughts from vapor.
Where famous writers are concerned,
Sure, Ireland breeds no sissies.
The Catholic Church both banned and burned
James Joyce’s great Ulysses.
Victorian morality
Made sure that mercy mild
Was not bestowed upon the likes
Of Mr. Oscar Wilde.
Though Samuel Beckett’s work is stark
And mainly pessimistic,
His “Waiting for Godot” on stage
Was wildly artistic.
“Pygmalion” was for Bernard Shaw
His greatest masterpiece,
Then “My Fair Lady” came along
Extending George’s lease.
All this talent in one place
Like stars in Pleiades,
Yet hostile to the inner space
Of artists such as these.
******
The Wearin’O’ the Green
based on an anonymous Irish street ballad, 1798
“O Paddy dear, and did ye hear the news that’s goin’ round?
The shamrock is by law forbid to grow on Irish ground!
No more Saint Patrick’s Day we’ll keep, his color can’t be seen
For there’s a cruel law ag’in the Wearin’ o’ the Green.”
The Seventeenth of March each year.
We’re puttin’ on the green
In sympathy with Ireland, dear,
Opposed to King or Queen.
Sure, join in the hilarity,
Enjoy a pint or two
And drink to solidarity
With Paddy and his crew.
We welcome then Saint Patrick’s Day
From every town to Galway Bay.
******
Discover trusted local services and hidden gems with our easy-to-use online directory.
After he retired and moved to Sedona, Arizona, he taught literature at Yavapai College in Clarkdale, Arizona.
He and professional artist Bev Kephart bought a small motor home in 2003, sold most of their possessions, and traveled the U. S. for seven years. After visiting Mexico several times, they settled in the village of Ajijic, joining the ex-pat artist and writing communities.
Mel’s writing has been published online and in print in The United Kingdom, The United States, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia. He is the author of three novels, a book of short stories, and several books of poetry. He and his wife now make their home in the village of San Nicholas de Ibarra.
- Poetry Niche – March 2026 - March 1, 2026
- Poetry Niche – February 2026 - January 31, 2026
- Poetry Niche – December 2025 - November 30, 2025
