Moya Llewelyn Davies

by

Hay Machine

Moya for Melissa Llewelyn Davies

Steeped naturally in her Gaelic ways
love of all things Irish foremost
imagine splendid sheen of hair and orchid eye
dipped in tragedy
as though Gods thought to test to the limit
her endurance and ability

Beloved her mother and four siblings died that day
poisoned on a family picnic
the periwinkles at Seapoint
that night they perished where they lay
poor man O'Connor
Joyce in Ulysses could only say

In London Moya was the fruit of Irish social round
in dance and song and literature she found
friends some comfort from her loved ones lost
and one night Sam Maguire his name on silver cup
introduced her to the lover of her life
Michael Collins notwithstanding she was Crompton's wife

In Furry Park Killester her castle still resides
in nineteen twenty two its lands ran down to Clontarf's tides
with Crompton still King's Counsel and a pillar of the realm
in Dublin Moya opened house to revolution's men
Michael Collins pictured broker-dressed in Crompton's coat and hat
peddled through his checkpoints and that was simply that

Heart-drawn and lonesome Celt
busy ghost-writing for old soldiers
Muiris O'Sullivan's Blasket island tale
she took from ancient Irish and gave it English sail
Moya's name recorded here and elsewhere swept away
officially denied pragmatic history took its sway

It's said she had two children with her Irish General dear
and both revealed in latter years this truth
when Signe Toksvig came to tea in Dublin's Furry Park
her diaried observation was another timely spark
it lit a candle in the straw-thatched roof of retrospective thought
made a fire with roar and heat in flames her image wrought

Moya has a story left to tell
her image in a gallery must hang as well
magnificent lamp alight above the door
up to twenty windows
through this curtained light
to celebrate our store

NEXT?
Why don't you look at The Flight of the Earls
by: Hay Machine
from: Dublin, Ireland

To visit all of Hay Machine's poems, click HERE

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