About the Poem
Americans are lucky - they can immigrate within America. The country is so large that people can change cultures by moving from New England to say, Texas. But most of us have to change countries in order to immigrate. Whatever kind of immigration, it creates a challenge. Such a change offers opportunity, but you need to have a vision, and strive to achieve the accomplishment of that vision. This poem is about two different immigrants.
The Immigrants |
| by Brian Quinn |
| The year was l889, And the rail-gang paused to rest. The sun was hot, the men were tired As they laid rail-tracks to the West. One of the gang wiped his sweating brow, His name was Paddy Joe. He had worked on the gang for twenty years And the wear was beginning to show. The railroad president was in his train, He was out to inspect the rails. And his train stopped behind Paddy's gang, And he descended to welcoming hails. The president paused and said a few words, And he thanked the railroad crew. Then his eyes caught the eyes of Paddy Joe, And he winked, that's all he could do. Then Paddy Joe said to his neighbor, "That man up there could be me. We both left Ireland on the very same boat, And together we crossed the sea." "We both started out as laborers, And I took my pay and had fun. But Michael there had a big vision, He wanted a railroad to run." |
Unfortunately, this author has failed to maintain a valid email address with us. If you know the author, please ask them to contact us with a current email address.
If you especially appreciated this author, we'll be happy to show you where you might find more of their poems
1 Visitor Comments
Casey
I think that all of us set dreams like this but don't really count on reaching them and I really like this poem because it sets an example for those people who have no hope.
All Visitor Comments on this poem have been posted by people who wanted to let the
author know the poem touched their hearts. If you would like to leave a comment of
your own, please Vote for this poem.