ROSES OF BELFAST

Who shall gather roses

in the gardens of Belfast,

where tangled vines

mingle with barbed wire?

Who shall tend roses

or pull weeds

whose roots clutch

cracked pavement

where old men march

and children play?

Who shall kneel to pray

or whisper, "No surrender"

to a brother, a son or a lover?

Who shall be left to gather roses

between cold stone crosses?