Old Irish Pub photo (Marenlinnea)‘Be Careful What Ya’ Wish For’: A Poem by Mark Stellinga The Society March 29, 2025 Humor, Poetry 12 Comments . Be Careful What Ya’ Wish For Well, all o’ ya’ knows when ol’ Paddy McFarland’s _been drinkin’ ‘e’ll spin up a tale Oooozin’ with bits what is ‘ard to believe— _fer dem who ain’t pickled with ale. But last Friday evenin’ ‘e threw out a whopper _dat brung ‘im up close to a liar By claimin’ da beer-after-beer ‘e were downin’ _were needed fer dousin’ da fire Burnin’ away in ‘is ‘eart fer da filly _‘e’d wanted fer all of ‘is life, But—when ‘e weren’t lookin’—some feller from Dublin _‘ad taken da lass fer ‘is wife! Well, all of us knowed dat da gal ‘e were meanin’ _would never ‘ve taken ‘is ‘and! Nay, she woulda married dat feller from Dublin _regardless what Paddy‘d planned! Well, Kelly’s were packed to da gills when dat very _same feller come stumblin’ in! ‘E claimed ‘e’d been over at Murphy’s a-drinkin’ _since seven—and now it were ten! When somebody quizzed ‘im ‘bout why ‘e’d come over _to Kelly’s an’ started again— ‘e claimed ‘e were meanin’ to pickle ‘is mind _an’ dat Murphy‘d run outta gin! “Anythin’ special dat’s makin’ ya’ try?” _da bartender cordially pried. “Me life,” ‘e replied, “‘as been goin’ ta shite _since da day I done took me a bride!” Well… it might be a little bit ‘ard to believe… _but da truth o’ da matter is dis— dare’s times when yer aimin’ ta win a girl’s ‘eart _dat yer far better off if ya’ miss! Ya’ see… Paddy were drinkin’ fer missin’ ‘is chance _to ‘ve married da wife o’ dis lad, An’ da lad were a-doin’ da very same t’ing _regrettin’ da fact dat ‘e ‘ad! . . Mark Stellinga is a poet and antiques dealer residing in Iowa. He has often won the annual adult-division poetry contests sponsored by the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop, has had many pieces posted in several magazines and sites over the past 60 years, including Poem-Hunter.com, PoetrySoup.com, and Able Muse.com—where he won the 1st place prize for both ‘best poem’ of the year and ‘best book of verse.’ NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. 12 Responses Roy Eugene Peterson March 29, 2025 Raucous and hilarious like a true pub tale. Oh, how the twists of fate play tricks. Cleverly written. Reply Mark Stellinga March 30, 2025 Thank you, Roy, it was a really fun one to pen – Reply Brian Yapko March 29, 2025 I agree with Roy, Mark. This is very cleverly written. I recited it because that made it much easier to enjoy the dialect and doing so turned out to be great fun! Witty with some tried and true wisdom in the mix. The grass truly is always greener. Reply Mark Stellinga March 30, 2025 Glad you enjoyed it, Brian. The lovely Irish dialect is my all time favorite, with Scottish and Australian close behind. It can be a bit tricky to read, particularly for those unfamiliar with Ireland’s colloquial verbiage, and I do have one in which I exploit the really nifty jargon of the Aussies. Reply Russel Winick March 30, 2025 Great stuff, Mark – entertaining, unique, funny, and wise. A home run of a poem! Reply Mark Stellinga March 30, 2025 Thanks, Russel, this one, being done in my all time favorite colloquial dialect, was pretty tricky to put together. Reply T. M. Moore March 30, 2025 You almost knew from the beginning where this was headed, so typically and beautifully Irish. The pace and language of this tale are magnificent. The rhymes exquisite. Just the right length for a tale. Reply Mark Stellinga March 30, 2025 Thanks, T. M. – I’m a ‘story-poemer’ from wayyyyy back. It took as much editing as I’ve ever had to cope with, being I’m as far from being Irish as it gets, but it was a lot of fun to whip up. Glad you liked it – 🙂 Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 31, 2025 Mark, I just love the colloquial linguistic gymnastics (not easy to pull off) and the wry humor of the piece. This is brimming with skill and huge fun, and it’s put a big grin on my face – tough to do in these dire times, and I thank you for it! Reply Mark Stellinga March 31, 2025 Knowing I’ve managed to put a big grin on your face literally makes my day, young lady, and you’re right, it was a bit of a challenge to keep the piece colloquially authentic. As you skim through my new ‘digital book’ I’m betting you’ll both find yourselves lol from time to time, the goal of much of what I written. Even the ‘old folks’ I read to at care centers erupt with laughter when I do a good job of reciting my funniest ones. Take care – Reply Margaret Coats March 31, 2025 A good story, Mark, much heightened in effect by your stellar telling of the tale. I’m not surprised it took more editing than any other to get the dialect and the drama right. And I can imagine you add plenty of acting skill at the care center, cracking up the old folk with all ’round entertainment. Reply Mark Stellinga March 31, 2025 Thank you, Margaret, and I enjoy rousing their laughter every bit as much as they appreciate opportunities to laugh. I’m a bit of a ‘ham’ so it comes naturally. I practice on my family & fellow car-club buddies. My wife and I also donated more than 1,200 copies of my ($45/retail) hardcover book of verse – ‘A Treasure Trove of Rhyme’, to 57 assisted and independent living facilities last fall & summer. A lot of driving but so worth it. Enjoy your week – Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Roy Eugene Peterson March 29, 2025 Raucous and hilarious like a true pub tale. Oh, how the twists of fate play tricks. Cleverly written. Reply
Brian Yapko March 29, 2025 I agree with Roy, Mark. This is very cleverly written. I recited it because that made it much easier to enjoy the dialect and doing so turned out to be great fun! Witty with some tried and true wisdom in the mix. The grass truly is always greener. Reply
Mark Stellinga March 30, 2025 Glad you enjoyed it, Brian. The lovely Irish dialect is my all time favorite, with Scottish and Australian close behind. It can be a bit tricky to read, particularly for those unfamiliar with Ireland’s colloquial verbiage, and I do have one in which I exploit the really nifty jargon of the Aussies. Reply
Russel Winick March 30, 2025 Great stuff, Mark – entertaining, unique, funny, and wise. A home run of a poem! Reply
Mark Stellinga March 30, 2025 Thanks, Russel, this one, being done in my all time favorite colloquial dialect, was pretty tricky to put together. Reply
T. M. Moore March 30, 2025 You almost knew from the beginning where this was headed, so typically and beautifully Irish. The pace and language of this tale are magnificent. The rhymes exquisite. Just the right length for a tale. Reply
Mark Stellinga March 30, 2025 Thanks, T. M. – I’m a ‘story-poemer’ from wayyyyy back. It took as much editing as I’ve ever had to cope with, being I’m as far from being Irish as it gets, but it was a lot of fun to whip up. Glad you liked it – 🙂 Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 31, 2025 Mark, I just love the colloquial linguistic gymnastics (not easy to pull off) and the wry humor of the piece. This is brimming with skill and huge fun, and it’s put a big grin on my face – tough to do in these dire times, and I thank you for it! Reply
Mark Stellinga March 31, 2025 Knowing I’ve managed to put a big grin on your face literally makes my day, young lady, and you’re right, it was a bit of a challenge to keep the piece colloquially authentic. As you skim through my new ‘digital book’ I’m betting you’ll both find yourselves lol from time to time, the goal of much of what I written. Even the ‘old folks’ I read to at care centers erupt with laughter when I do a good job of reciting my funniest ones. Take care – Reply
Margaret Coats March 31, 2025 A good story, Mark, much heightened in effect by your stellar telling of the tale. I’m not surprised it took more editing than any other to get the dialect and the drama right. And I can imagine you add plenty of acting skill at the care center, cracking up the old folk with all ’round entertainment. Reply
Mark Stellinga March 31, 2025 Thank you, Margaret, and I enjoy rousing their laughter every bit as much as they appreciate opportunities to laugh. I’m a bit of a ‘ham’ so it comes naturally. I practice on my family & fellow car-club buddies. My wife and I also donated more than 1,200 copies of my ($45/retail) hardcover book of verse – ‘A Treasure Trove of Rhyme’, to 57 assisted and independent living facilities last fall & summer. A lot of driving but so worth it. Enjoy your week – Reply
