After A Full Belly All Is Poetry.

The Master Says It's A Glorious Thing To Die For The Faith And Dad Says It's A Glorious Thing To Die For Ireland And I Wonder If There's Anyone In The World Who Would Like Us To Live. My Brothers Are Dead And My Sister Is Dead And I Wonder If They Died For Ireland Or For The Faith. Dad Says They Were Too Young To Die For Anything. Mam Says It Was Disease And Starvation And Him Never Having A Job. Dad Says, Och, Angela, Puts On His Cap, And Goes For A Long Walk.

I Learned The Significance Of My Own Insignificant Life.

My Childhood Here... Was Very Limited. So It Was A Long, Long Time Before I Actually Went Out To Brooklyn.

I Had No Accomplishments Except Surviving. But That Isn't Enough In The Community Where I Came From, Because Everybody Was Doing It. So I Wasn't Prepared For America, Where Everybody Is Glowing With Good Teeth And Good Clothes And Food.

There's So Much Absurdity. Poverty Is So Absurd.