Poetry - Aubrey Pearce

 

 


Maberly
We hear this spoken by some folk Maberly soon will be A ghost town with its industry The Salt Cod Fishery. No stages, boats nor fishing gear Are seen along the shore The old folks that once caught the cod Are gone for evermore. A lovely spot is Maberly This hamlet by the sea In summer when the tourist come They love its scenery. The marshes and the barrens too Abound with berries wild A source of income for the folks And every boy and child. People come from near and far Those berries for to pick With bakeapples in the early fall They fill their buckets quick. The partridgeberry industry Alike for rich and poor Is better here than anywhere Along the Eastern shore. The blueberry is scarce in quantity Is still a source of wealth And makes sweet wine for Christmas time It's good too for one's health. The folks grow all the crops they need The land is fertile here Potatoes are as good as seen At any country fair. Two miles of road connect this place To the town of Elliston Its upkeep by the government Is very small when done. The school bus no doubt cost a bit Of dough to make it go And then there is the snow plow That clears the road of snow. The electric lights along the road And in our homes likewise Are paid when due, we never fink Though some say people try. The facts that's stated here are true We never will agree To end our days away from home In some locality. We have good water near at hand The best that can be found And grazing land is plentiful For cattle all around. There's tons of hay that could be cut For grass is plenty here Enough to feed a thousand sheep The people do declare. Nature has provided us With codfish in galore And berries that are plentiful No distance from our door. Some of the folks that once lived here Have settled now in town They thought electric lights Would never get around. Now when they come to visit here And see the old homestead They view with envy those who stayed Although they were in need. Centralization may be best When things are handled right But dumping people everywhere Is sure an awful sight. What good is it to leave a place Where plenty can be found And live one's days in poverty Within some busy town? To move the houses from this place Much money would be spent Enough to buy an airplane And cross the continent. They say this twentieth century Will see the end of time If this is so we then will be Within some other clime. So when you look at it this way And others stated here Let us enjoy our heritage The place we love so dear. If Joey and his government Would lend a helping hand We'd make this place a paradise The best in Newfoundland. Canon Bailey named this place From Bonavista town A Godly man who loved to preach To people all around. We love it more because of him And all of us agree There is no better place to live Than here in Maberly.

 

Aubrey Pearce (1894-1977) Maberly Resident

 

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