The Isle Of Innisfree

by Tom Cunningham
(United Kingdom )

It's without doubt a small isle but of natural beauty
Such a tranquil green place, the Isle of Innisfree
Set in Irelands Lough Gill, in the County of Sligo
And holds for me fond memories of so long ago.

I met my first love at the Loughs shore, a pretty colleen
Grace Ann was her name and she was just sixteen
And that first long hot summer that we spent together
Still plays on my mind, and the love we had for each other.

We'd row across to the Isle often and stay all day long
Long hours we'd spend talking and singing our song
A pact we both made, that we'd be together for life
I as her loving husband and she my loving wife.

We'd dream of building a house there, just her and me
And later we'd have children, our own family
We would have a laugh about that, it was just fantasy
But I knew that we'd be happy wherever we'd be.

We finished school in September and were waiting to see
If we'd been successful in our application, for Dublin Uni
Sadly some of our friends, had their application's rejected
But Grace and I'd been lucky because we'd been accepted.

The week before our departure , she went with some friends to town
And as they crossed a busy road, a drunk driver mowed them down
Two of her friends were slightly injured but Grace died at the scene
Her young life taken from her, she'd just turned seventeen.

I became very withdrawn and just wished it'd been me
And lost interest in everything and even a place at uni
I went to the funeral home to see, one last time her pretty face
And there in a white coffin lay an angel, my beautiful Grace.

I blamed myself for her death; she'd wanted to stay in with me
But I said "go out with your friends and have a farewell party"
After her funeral I left for England, and joined the merchant navy
In the hope I'd leave behind memories, of that awful tragedy.

I couldn't face going back home and its now been thirty years
Just the thought of going back there would fill my eyes with tears
In my free time I'd go up on deck, and just stare out to the sea
And my mind would drift back to that summer, with Grace and Innisfree.





Written 11th December 2020.