Maud Van Heer Poem by Francis Duggan

She sits at home watching T.V. silver haired Maud Van Heer
And Jack her husband in the pub with his mates drinking beer
And talking of politics and sports and how the game was won
It is a strange world after all when all is said and done.

She married him for love alone in nineteen fifty three
When she was twenty three years old two years younger than he
He liked his beer young Jack Van Heer and he still likes booze today
Though he looks old and withered now and his hair is silver gray.

She married him for love alone and she hoped he'd change his way
But for marrying one who likes his drink there is a price to pay
As many women have found out who had hoped to change their man
And everything in life of course doesn't always go to plan.

Their two sons like old Jack their Dad neglect their wives for beer
And after all through their veins flow the blood of the 'Van Heer'
For old Jack's Dad too loved his beer and he passed on his seed
You well might say the family is of a drinking breed.

For many years Maud had to work just for to make ends meet
Had she not worked she and her children would be on the street
For Jack spent most of his wages on grog his mates and the pub came first
And he neglected his family for to satisfy his thirst.

Maud has fallen out of love with Jack the man who won her heart
After close to fifty years of married life from him she's grown apart
And Jack has not changed his ways at all few people like him do
To his drinking mates the pub and grog he still remains quite true.

Her husband Jack is in the pub with his beer drinking mates
Talking of unimportant stuff like the deeds of the sporting greats
And after close to fifty years of married life with regret she recall
That marrying the boozer Jack Van Heer was her biggest mistake of all.