Friday, October 31, 2014

Good Health

It always does come ahead of fame and wealth
The most important thing you have in your life is good health
The town's wealthiest person at forty nine last month died of a heart attack
All of the money in the World to life could not bring him back
The town's poorest person is living today
Whilst the rich one is covered deep in earth and clay
His wife had rung for an ambulance but when the paramedics arrived the life from him had gone
But today life without him in the town does go on
The one in bad health though financially well off is a poor person indeed
For of good health of mind and body everyone is in need
Money can buy you a new house, a new boat and a new motor car
And with money you can buy drinks for everyone at the local bar
But money did not save from the Reaper of Lives the town's wealthiest man
He died at forty nine as human life go not a very long span.

Tim Browne Of Kanturk

As a teenager a carefree lad of Kanturk Town
Now a stocky built fellow in his sixties of bushy beard and fuzzy greying hair of brown
As a famous bouzouki player and singer of old ballads he is known far and wide
Many miles beyond the borders of Duhallow's green countryside

As a singer of very old songs one admired and widely known
One can say of Tim Browne he is in a class of his own
He knows the words of hundreds of old ballads that in pubs and clubs he does sing
Great joy to lovers of traditional song the Kanturk singer does bring

With the finest of traditional singers Tim Browne does compare
People like him nowadays in Ireland to say the least rare
In an age when old ways are dying traditional singers becoming an endangered breed
And of far more of their kind the Human World is in need

Of the singers of the old songs of Ireland one of the last of the line
His rendition of the famous Dan Sheahan song 'The Girl Of Glashakeenleen' is a favourite of mine
The words of hundreds of old songs he is one who does know
Tim Browne of Kanturk where the old Allow flow.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Does It Not Seem A Great Pity

The property developers and engineers with building plans for the city
May be seen as influential and successful but does it not seem a great pity
That they do not know the value to the Natural Environment of an old growth tree
In their admiration club you will never find people like me

Needles destruction of natural habitat for wildlife for development is taking place every day
And because of this many species endangered of extinction which seems quite sad to say
Young people spend years in universities to get their engineering degrees
But their highly paid professors never do teach them on the great value of trees

To the natural habitat meant for wildlife so to them it seems quite okay
To remove any tree of development that does seem to be in the way
The World we live in with other life forms we seem all too unwilling to share
In these times of Climate Change it is one reason many species of wildlife are becoming rare

From Mother Earth us humans take and take and in return to her nothing give
And as neighbours with other life forms we have not learned on how to live
Habitat that shelter and sustain wildlife by developers is being destroyed Worldwide
On what we are doing to our Earth Mother we ought to feel no sense of pride.

The Theory Of Give To Receive

The theory of give to receive works in many a different way
For yourself you sow future good Karma in your kind acts of today
Though many with this sort of thinking i feel quite sure would disagree
We all have our own way of seeing things this is how it does seem to be
The one with the gifts of kindness and compassion quite willing to help one of helping in need
One can vouch for as quite a good person a very good person indeed
And though the praises of the wealthy and famous the impressionable majority may sing
The one kind and caring to others hope to the future of humanity does bring
I know of a few kind and caring people and they are a privilege to know
For going out of their way to help others my respect for them only does grow
My respect is not for the environmental vandal or the greedy financial billionaire
But for the kind and compassionate people who are always willing to share
With those who are doing it tough in life my respect for them only does grow
For they are indeed marvellous people and their kind are sure nice to know.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

It Was My Love Of Rhyme

I have been dabbling in rhyme since nineteen seventy three
It was my love of rhyme made a rhymer of me
And though literary critics dismiss them as of another time
There will always be rhymers and there will always be rhyme
In literature a place for rhyme ought to belong
For without it there would not be music and song
And it should go without saying that without these three
The Human World so much the poorer would be
The praises of modern poets the literary critics do sing
It seems like prose poetry is now the in thing
And though doubtless it has known of a far better day
Rhyme will live on despite what the literary critics of it do say
And it was love of rhyme made a rhymer of me
I penned my first rhyme in nineteen seventy three.

Till My Last Night And Day

Wherever i go to the past goes with me
In memory the old fields as they were i do see
And the friends of my past are in my thoughts today
In my mind as i knew them as ytoung they do stay

In Claraghatlea just west of old Millstreet Town
Where i used to live when my hair was dark brown
The changes are happening there i have been told
And the young of my younger years like me getting old

Time for anyone does not wait like it did not wait for me
Still in my many flights of fancy i often do see
The old fields resplendent in their Nature's flowers
Looking lush and green after soft April showers

I remember the Boggeraghs covered in snow
When the cold winds of January in Duhallow blow
And the Blackwater River bank high in flood waters of brown
Roars on through the flat rush fields towards Mallow Town

And of the warmer days of Summer in July
With the sun shining bright in the mostly blue sky
That has only a few scatterd cloudlets of gray
In the freshening breeze wafts the sweet scent of hay

But i only have memories of Seasons long gone
And the clock on my life ever keeps ticking on
Though the memories that followed me from far away
Will live on in me till my last night and day.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

For Most Of Us Ageing People

For most of us ageing people the past has been a mixture of laughter and tears
But in memory we only can go back the years
To when we were younger a long time ago
Long before time itself did become our foe
In memory we only can go back in time
To when we were younger and in our lives prime
But time did not wait for us it ticked on and on
And we cannot physically return to what has been and gone
Of the what has been only memories remain
And in memory we only can go back again
To the days before age on us began to show
And the legs that moved fast then are now walking slow
And time on our lives ever ticking away
And each dawn one dawn nearer to our last night and day.

Where There Is Life There Is Hope

Feeling suicidal and mentally down and struggling to cope
But as the saying goes where there is life there is hope
And hang in there in life as the wise one does say
Tomorrow for you might be a better day
In the dark of the grave there is only decay
One does not find hope where dead people lay
Though peace is forever in the quiet of the grave
Those who take their own lives never looked on as brave
That hope springs eternal remains ever true
A change in fortune for the better you are overdue
Do not prematurely end your life in an act of suicide
Leave that to the Reaper of lives to decide
Though anything for you is not going to plan
Hang in there in life for as long as you can.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Money Does Speak Every Language

Money does speak every language why otherwise even pretend
And though the wealthy one is not without an enemy the poor one does not have a friend
Wealthy people do control a Human World where inequality is rife
And millions are Stateless and Homeless and living a miserable life
Compared to many i am lucky i sleep in a comfortable bed
I never have gone to bed hungry i am one of the privileged well fed
In the World there are billions of people hardship is all they have ever known
So many are poor and homeless through not any fault of their own
The gap between the wealthy and the poor does keep on widening by the day
And that every day more are rendered homeless does seem a sad thing for to say
Though money cannot buy you happiness one would also have to agree
That it is better to be unhappy though wealthy than living in dire poverty
The wealthy one is not without enemies and the poor one does not have a friend
And money does speak every language why otherwise even pretend.

An October Day

The sweet scent of grass mowed for silage or hay
Wafting in the breeze of this mild October day
The weather though not very warm is windy and bright
With sporadic spells of mild Spring sunlight
The birds who do sing every day of the year
The warblings of the magpies melodious and clear
And birds from once seen and once heard one could never get wrong
The golden billed blackbirds competing in song
In these times of Climate Change weather patterns are strange
Yesterday it was warm today there is a cool change
Yet after the recent rain the parks and paddocks looking green
And wildflowers in all colours in abundance to be seen
On a weather forecast high for the day of eighteen degrees
The pleasant aroma of freshly mowed grass is wafting in the breeze.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

A Relative Thing

There are none of us perfect as most would agree
But you only can be the best you can be
Of the wealthy and famous the majority sing
But success in itself is a relative thing
He is not well known, famous and wealthy gray haired ageing Dan
But he is a generous and a compassionate man
Always willing to help one of helping in need
Every day of his life he sows Karma's good seed
Always helping poor people out of kindness not for pay
Of anyone he never has an unkind word to say
One who loves his family and who loves his wife
I look on him as a great success in life
But his praises i never hear anyone sing
Suppose success it can be a relative thing.

Millstreet On The Rise

For years in the Cork County wilderness but then no surprise
That the fortunes of Millstreet Gaelic Football Club are again on the rise
Cork County Junior A Gaelic Football Champions for twenty fourteen
On what was a memorable day for the fans of the gold and the green

In Pairc Ui Rinn they defeated St Finbarrs in a come from behind victory
The true spirit of Millstreet their loyal fans did see
The hungry for success Millstreet came to Cork to win
In sport as in life the will to succeed it comes from within

As is always the case victory it is sweet
They were led by the Pipe Band through the Town of Millstreet
Their green and gold flags the fans waving in delight
On what was for them quite a memorable night

The news of Millstreet's great win joyously received by Millstreet people everywhere
Those who live far from home in the big World out there
For love of the first homeplace in truth one can say
For as long as the migrant does live in the migrant does stay

Of Millstreet Teams and players of the past great memories to recall
And good to know they are on the rise again in Gaelic Football
With the will to win spirit of Millstreet Teams of old
They brought joy to the fans of the green and the gold.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Unpaid Judges

To find your very equal one may have to travel far
But no matter how good a person that you are
There will be some in their words who will put you down
Since there are unpaid judges in every village, city and town
Judgmental people are to be found everywhere
There are millions of them in the big World out there
They do live their lives in a negative way
Kind words of anyone for them seems too hard for to say
You may live as a good person compassionate and kind
But the critical sort fault with you bound to find
And when i say the unpaid judges of the World are more than a few
Am i telling you anything that is new?
You may be the nicest and kindest on your side of the town
But a few in their words will try to drag you down.

Phil The Wise Fellow

Phil the wise fellow with a shake of his head
Says altruism in the Human World is all but dead
With many far too many it is all about me, myself and i
That the narcissistic are growing in numbers is not a lie
And the words of the wise fellow i do not doubt
For he is one who knows what he is on about
He resckons humanitys downfall will be greed
That of far more compassionate people the Human World is in need
He is not one i do meet every day
But he always has something interesting to say
He reckons that Mother Earth the one we depend on to live
We do take far more from than to her we do give
For one in his mid thirties Phil is very wise
Far wiser than most are i have come to realize.

Friday, October 24, 2014

No Need For To Tell Me

No need for to tell me i know my rhymes are rough
And i know that to be called a poet i am not good enough
And i know that mine will never be a celebrated name
But i am not one who pens rhymes for money or for fame
I have had this rhyming addiction since nineteen seventy three
It was my lack of Worldly ambition made a rhymer out of me
But if i did not enjoy rhyming i would give it away
And i hope i will be doing it till my last night and day
A simple minor rhymer unworthy to be called a poet
In a World of many writers so few worthy of note
And there is some truth in the saying that poets are born and not made
Though every writer needed in the literary wordsmith trade
Just one of millions of ordinary rhymers who do not rhyme for pay
But i hope to be doing it till my last night and day.

Kathleen O Sullivan

For her husband Jeff and their family a sorrowful day
That Kathleen O Sullivan from life passed away
To her children a good mother and to Jeff a good wife
She was a good person who lived a good life

She and Jeff had been married for decades of years
And her many friends and relations would have farewelled her in tears
In the cemetery in Cullen her last remains lay
For all of us there is a last night and day

The Rose of Caherbarnagh when she was in her prime
Though this is going back many decades in time
But with those who knew her or knew of her the mental pictures remain
Of beauty never to be seen in the flesh again

A woman whose praises deserve to be sung
One of many who has proved that the good do not always die young
I recall her as one beautiful to behold
Though she lived to a good age she was not that old

From Ballydaly Lower and Cullen her's will be a sadly missed face
And in a family none to fill a mother's place
Hope her parting from life was a painless release
The good person Kathleen she now is at peace.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

As I Was Walking This Morning

As i was walking this morning to the grocery store on the main street
A beautiful cheerful young stranger by chance i happened for to meet
With blond wavy hair to her shoulders and eyes of a light chestnut brown
In the neighborhood she was not a local perhaps one from another town

To me a stranger to her she was friendly she greeted me with a big smile
She seemed quite a charming young person though perhaps not quite free of guile
Young women friendly to ageing male strangers the wrong impression sometimes give
Though i will not be thinking about her for as long as i happen to live

But better for one to be this way than distant and full of conceit
At least she did not choose to ignore me with white sandals on her small feet
And blue slacks and a bright pink cardigan in her nothing gloomy or gray
I have always liked friendly people they help to bring joy to my day

On this sunny day in October of only a very slight breeze
The golden billed blackbirds were singing and magpies warbled on the trees
I met with a pretty young stranger she had such a beautiful smile
She was one who was not conceited though perhaps not quite free of guile.

Gabi Grecko

She is one the conservative Aussies will never claim for their own
Gabi Grecko the young American beauty in Australia famed and known
Since she displays a lot of cleavage little from view hidden away
People in their ways quite prudish kind things of her does not say

With young Aussies males she is not popular though physically beautiful to behold
The reason for this is that Gabi seems to like her lovers old
Some egotistical young males can be jealous and quite ageist in their way
And they do not like it when a pretty young female amorous attention to an old bloke pay

Her lover is Geoffrey Edelsten the ageing bankrupt Aussie Billionaire
But Gabi does not worry that he has grown poorer for him she seems to genuinely care
Than her he is close to fifty years older old enough to be her grand-dad
With hair dyed brown it has been awhile since Geoffrey was a young and sprightly lad

Always hand in hand when seen in public love not ageist it does seem
To have the beautiful young blond as his lover must be good for Geoffrey's self esteem
Geoffrey is one though getting older his charm and appeal does not lose
Gabi for her lover could have had a wealthy young male but the Ageing Geoffrey she did choose

The beautiful young Gabi Grecko one who is in her life's prime
Photographs of her in every glossy magazine she is a woman of out time
She is the lover of Geoffrey Edelsten the declared Bankrupt billionaire
But he is loved by a young beauty and men like him are surely rare.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Though Stories Of Brave Men

Though stories of brave men we read of and hear
At the thought of death most of them would have felt fear
With people dying around them only the bravest are brave
Little joy in the thought of the darkness of the grave
Though of their bravery in death of brave soldiers the patriots may sing
To feel fear at the thought of death is a natural thing
Since of a life after death anyone has not come back to tell
Those who have survived into their eighties in life have done well
Millions of people on war memorial day remember the war dead
Those who died young who had years of life of them ahead
Though on war memorial day at their monument the last post is played
For their status as heroes with their lived they have paid
And though stories of their bravery we read of and hear
Few of them would have gone to their death without fear.

Money Is Quite Important

You do not need a diploma or uni a degree
To know that money does not grow on a bush or a tree
And the most of the money in the World is owned by the few
Though you may say to this do tell us what is new
Money speaks every language as the wise one does say
Something that has never been more relevant than in the World of today
In the twenty first century how kind and compassionate you are to little seems to amount
The majority do judge you far better by your bank account
Because of money people commit murder and every sort of crime
And many in jail because of money serving long prison time
That money is quite important why even pretend
The one who has plenty of it is never short of a friend
Of the praises of a pauper you never hear anyone sing
For anyone to be short of money it is such a sad thing.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

There Are None Of Us Perfect

There are none of us perfect as most would agree
But you only can be the best you can be
The best of people know how to give and receive
And on a fair go for everybody do believe
You may not be a celebrity of the town
But if in your words you never put anyone down
And help anyone in need of your help without asking for pay
Then as a person on how you are living you are doing quite okay
Success as we do know can be a relative thing
Though the praises of celebrities the masses may sing
Many of the wealthy and famous in their ways can be very small
In fact they are not good people at all
There are none of us perfect is how it seems to be
And the flaws i see in others are the flaws that are in me.

Gough Whitlam

For many Australians today a sad day
Gough Whitlam Australia's twenty first Prime Minister has passed away
Two years short of a century his was a long life span
He surely did live to be quite an old man

Australia's most controversial Prime Minister if not the best
The reforms his Government implemented have stood the time test
Though Prime Minister for only three years to Australia change for the better he did bring
One not short of critics though millions his praises do sing

His dismissal on the orders of the then Governor General John Kerr perhaps the most memorable day in Australia's political history
As his political life it did end in great controversy
But long after those who opposed him are amongst the long forgotten gone
The legend of Gough Whitlam in Australia will live on

Australia's greatest reforming Prime Minister Gough Whitlam has lived his last night and day
On his ninety eight year from life he has passed away
Pre deceased a few years by the great love of his life Margaret she like him famed and known
He was a tall handsome man of a commanding presence in a class of his own.

Monday, October 20, 2014

An October Day In Koroit

On the sunny blue sky there is not one cloud of gray
And the magpies are singing in Koroit today
The distinctive flute like notes always pleasant to hear
Of the birds that do sing every day of the year
A beautiful day in October of twenty three degrees
And fragile pink blossoms are blooming on the fruit bearing trees
The warm air full of the buzzing of flies and of bees
And white butterflies dancing in the freshening breeze
That blow through Koroit's Botanic Gardens from the Pacific shore
Beautiful weather like this makes me want to live forever more
And the parks looking so green after recent rain
With weather like this how can one complain
The wildflowers in full bloom adorn the green
And Nature today in Koroit at her finest is seen.

The Talk Of Millstreet

He is not a great hurler or gaelic footballer or famous athlete
Yet as brave a man as he is one could not wish for to meet
One who does speak his mind in his kind no deceit
Matt Murphy nowadays is the talk of Millstreet

On his online article on the removal of conifer trees in the Park of Millstreet Town
Matt to the Park Committee has thrown the gauntlet down
On so doing he has made a few friends and he has made a few foes
But this is how it is for those who speak their mind one has to suppose

Of people good at sports in the World there are plenty indeed
But of more like Matt Murphy we are badly in need
Of in this time of habitat destruction of wildlife and Climate Change
Wild born creatures under survival pressure due to dwindling living range

The World we live in does need every tree
Though this may seem a strange thing coming from one like me
For i have cut down many trees in my time
On going back the Seasons to my wasted prime

The World is ours for to live in and with all other life forms for to share
Though for our Mother Earth who feeds us too few seem to care
More trees that support wildlife are being removed every day
And that extinction is forever does seem sad to say

To those who remain true to themselves great credit is due
For it is a gift to the one who to self remains true
And though not a great hurler or gaelic footballer or a famous athlete
Matt Murphy nowadays is the talk of Millstreet.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

On Hearing A Blackbird

Unlike the Aussie magpie his kind does not sing every day of the year
But his is a voice always pleasant to hear
His ancestors brought to here from Lands far away
The blackbird singing in Koroit Town today
On October the nineteenth in the prime of the Spring
The song of the Blackbird is such a beautiful thing
It always does take me to fields far away
When the hawthorns are in their white blooms of the May
And Nature at her very finest is to be seen
When the bluebells are in full bloom on the ditch of every bohreen
And in the gathering twilight near old Millstreet Town
A blackbird is singing just after sundown
And the night coming in to the soft lowing of a cow
In a darkening field by the River Finnow.

I Am One Who Does Know

I am one who does know of the rough side of life
And i have had my moments of inner strife
And my worth as a person i often do doubt
Suppose this is what living life is about

For years i have been battling my dark moods of despair
But no point in saying that life is unfair
When others are doing it far tougher than me
Since hardship is relative would you not agree?

Of the ups and downs of life so many do know
And so very few blessed of the inner glow
So lucky are those who on their worst day
Do have the gift of laughing their cares away

I know that my biggest worries compared to the worries of some do seem small
Though i too have have been close to the mental wall
Like the baby to walk must first learn how to crawl
We learn to rise again after a fall

Like many i have my moments of self doubt
But then this is life and what life is about
I too do know of the dark moods of despair
But there is no point in saying that life is unfair.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Hate

Hate it can lead you to serious crime
And put you in prison for decades of time
For the one who has wronged you why harbor a grudge
Leave it to Karma to be his or her judge
For those who sin against others always some price to pay
And if the law does not catch up with them Karma will one day
Exacting revenge on them by taking the law into your own hands is never the proper way
Just leave them to Karma as the wise one does say
In life what we sow we eventually receive
On such a philosophy i do believe
What goes around comes around to me seems true
We eventually receive from life what is our due
Hate it can lead you to serious crime
And put you in prison for decades of time.

Sean Moylan

Sean Moylan in his young years was a man amongst men
He led the brave young men of Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra at Tureengarriffe Glen
In a famous and historical victory over the forces of the British Crown
From the cliffs above the narrow roadway rebel gunfire on the Brits rained down

Years later as a politician and a Government Minister in Dublin in the Dail
He was in many a verbal battle for his party Fianna Fail
For his sharp wit and his humor Moylan became famed and known
But he remained true to his roots he was always Kiskeam's own

The past has memories of sadness and has memories of joy
I remember Sean Moylan at a pre election rally when i was a school going boy
He lauded his own party and ran his opponents down
As he stood on board a lorry at the Square in Millstreet Town

In his famous dark rimmed glasses and short clipped hair of silver gray
Then an aging politician who had known a better day
From any verbal battle never one to back away
He was really a great character in truth of him one can say

He survived Ireland's war of independence and the civil war to know of a greater fame
In my boyhood years in Duhallow Sean Moylan's was a great name
Since he drew his last breath of life many years to time have gone
But the legend of Sean Moylan in Ireland does live on.

Friday, October 17, 2014

God For Us All

An old saying from my younger years i do recall
Every man for himself and God for us all
A saying that so many does seem to live by
And that to so many people nowadays does apply
Of the kind and compassionate more we do need
It is true that poverty is one of the side affects of human greed
So many grow poorer for every new millionaire
In a World where many are homeless and so few seem to care
Your friends are not many when you are financially down
So few wish to know of the paupers of the town
Money speaks every language as some are known to say
And sad for to say it but it does seem this way
A saying from my younger years i do recall
Every man for himself and God for us all.

Joe

Joe the attendant at the Sturton Road tip
On political bureaucrats likes to verbally let rip
A well educated and well travelled fellow no doubt
Who does know what he is on about

Of his travels he has great stories to tell
Been to Africa and Europe and Asia as well
And in Australia has travelled far and wide
And been in many towns in the brown countryside

A man who in his life has been to there and has done that
For Australia's poor battlers he verbally goes to bat
If everyone were as broad minded as Joe
In Australia for all there would be a fair go

So much of the big World out there he has seen
And he remembers everywhere to where he has been
In his late sixties he has physically known a far better day
Though quite an engaging character of him one can say

So many stories of his travels he has for to share
The Joe's of the World to say the least rare
Like all in their late sixties his physical best days are gone
But one can say of him that he keeps on keeping on.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Ignorance Is Blind

Due to the development of land millions of birds and animals are dispossessed in the World every day
And this does seem a sad thing for to have to say
And of much of this development there is not any need
Most of the extinction of birds and animals is caused by human greed

For the extinction of rare species of wildlife cats and foxes are not all to blame
Far greater environmental foes than they are quite easy to name
They are known collectively as developers their workers clear land for financial gain
Why they abuse the Earth Mother who feeds us beyond reason to explain

Most of the creatures dispossessed from land clearing do not survive for long
Most of them cannot claim new territories Nature is ruled by the physically strong
Destruction of natural habitat for wildlife is such a horrible thing
Very soon there will not be any birds left for to sing

Thousands of trees being cut down every day Worldwide
Habitat for wildlife is being needlessly destroyed
And the main culprits of species extinction are known as human kind
Greed comes from ignorance and ignorance is blind.

I Am Just One Of Many

I am just one of many my type are not rare
Who have gone to see life in the big World out there
But the challenges of life out of the Homeland every migrant does meet
There is not any gold to be found on the faraway street
The lust of the wander in some is quite strong
From their teen years for to see far off Lands they do long
In their hometown they had no wish for to stay
To marry, raise children and grow old and gray
Yet the nostalgia for what was in them does remain
To visit the place of their young years again
To meet aging friends of their long gone youth
That in every migrant love of first homeplace lives on there is some truth
I am just one of many far from my first homeplace
Where mine today to many would be a strange face.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Koroit

Koroit an old Town in South Western Victoria's countryside
For it's links to old cultures is known far and wide
And the friendliness of it's people make it a welcoming place
On the streets of Koroit many a smiling face
A couple of kilometers from Tower Hill the spiritual home of the Budj Bim of the Dreamtime
A place that has inspired song, Story and rhyme
On warm Summer evenings in long gone centuries
By Tower Hill Lake they danced their corroborees
Koroit is indeed a historic old Town
It's strong links to Ireland one of it's claims to renown
The Lake School and the Irish Festival are held there once a year
That atracts large numbers of music lovers from places far and near
For the warmth of it's people it is widely known
Koroit in South West Victoria has a charm of it's own.

Nature Is The Only One

Due to your money and assets wealthy friends are your gain
But at the end of life's journey this all seems in vain
As fame and success comes to nothing in the end
Since we are only mere mortals why otherwise pretend
We are what we think we are as some do like to say
Perhaps i see life in a cynical way
I believe that my neighbour's jack russell terrier is no less a mortal than i
The only difference is that he does not realize that he was born for to die
Mother Earth who supplies us with our every need
Is suffering because of us and our selfishness and greed
The one on whom we depend on for to live
Yet we take and take from her and in return to her little give
Immortality for any human being is based on a lie
And Nature is the only one not destined for to die.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Giovanni And Marie

As a young husband and wife Giovanni and Marie
Arrived by boat in Melbourne Australia in nineteen fifty three
From their far away City of Milan in Italy
For to begin a new life by the southern sea

In Footscray they raised their two daughters Claudia and Jo
Grandmothers now in their late fifties their physical prime more than three decades ago
With Giovanni and Marie in their early eighties the Italian accent remain
A part of the old Country that they do retain

One thing from their past that with them does stay
And will be with them till their last night and day
In their neighbourhood they are well loved and well known
One can say of them they have a charm of their own

Giovanni a good husband and father loves his family and Marie his wife
He worked on the Melbourne building sites in his working life
In Footscray where they have lived for years they are growing old and gray
In love with each other and life they make the most of every day

Giovanni and Marie five decades past their physical prime
But they are enjoying life and seem unfazed by time
They do speak good English but their Italian accent with them does remain
And in them what was a loss to Milan became Footscray's gain.

The Babies Born Yesterday

The babies born yesterday are a day old today
And the clock on their lives ever ticking away
And though many of them will be living long after the life from me has gone
The seconds of their lives will be ticking on
That time is all of our master none ought to deny
On looking back the decades it did seem to fly
Some of the boys and girls i went to school with are deceased today
And time has left me looking tired, old and gray
In my physical prime in the early seventies four decades ago
Time then my friend has now become my foe
And all we have are memories of the what used to be
Time will not wait for you it did not wait for me
The babies born yesterday one day nearer their lives prime
And eventually too they will become victims of time.

If To Kindness And Compassion

If to kindness and compassion you remain ever true
Then good things in life for this will be your due
Though for helping the mentally unwell and the financially down
You will never become the celebrity of the town
Though a celebrity of the town you never wish for to be
People like you are worth more to humanity
Than the self serving money hoarding billionaire
Who for the plight of the poor does not seem for to care
To help one in need of helping you go out of your way
And always perform your good deed of the day
And as a reward for your kindness never seek money in pay
Though the band through the town for you never will play
Yes you will never become the hero of the town
By helping the homeless and financially down.

Monday, October 13, 2014

On The Removal Of Trees In Millstreet Town Park

On his well written article on the removal of trees in Millstreet Town Park at the West End
Matt Murphy to Nature has proved himself a good friend
He may have made a few enemies in his truthful words though friends he too has won
His late mother and father in him raised a brave son

Though the trees have been removed and protest seems all too late
The people of Millstreet in this have nothing to celebrate
And though i have not been in the Millstreet Town Park for many a day
As far as i remember the trees there did not interfere with the activities in the playing pitch in any sort of a way

Too late now for to be pointing the finger of blame
Though the removal of trees from any Town Park is an environmental shame
In Millstreet Town park less birds now for to sing
It used to be a place of birdsong in the Spring

Before sport in the World there were bushes and trees
And the songs of the wild birds carried in the breeze
But due to destruction of habitat many species of wildlife becoming rare
The World nowadays badly in need of more of the environmentally aware

Far too much habitat for wildlife by us humans has been needlessly destroyed
For far too long this has been happening Worldwide
In that i was once a tree clearer myself i take no pride at all
There were bushes and trees and birds and animals in Ireland long before there was Hurling and Gaelic Football.

It takes thirty years for a seedling to grow into a young tree
This is quite a long time would you not agree
Without trees for to nest in and roost on there will not be birds for to sing
Is Millstreet Town Park near it's first silent Spring?

Dola O Byrne

Such sad news out of Millstreet the saddest for many a day
Dola O Byrne of the West End from life has passed away
As nice a person as one could wish for to meet
Few ever quite like her in the Town of Millstreet

In her younger years as a nurse a terrible motor accident she did survive
Nevertheless Dola felt happy for to come out of it alive
Though the accident left her with a physical handicap and years of physical pain
Dola of her lot in life did not complain

A down to earth person free of conceit and guile
On her beautiful face she always had a beautiful smile
One true to her higher self she was pure of mind
She lived an honorable life and was compassionate and kind

She will never be forgotten in Millstreet Town
To live as a good person her claim to renown
With bravery and dignity life's toughest challenge she did face
Millstreet for her in it was a far better place

In Millstreet Town where she grew old and had lived for years
Her passing from life would not have gone without tears
By Cashman's Hill in St Mary's her last remains lay
She was a good person good in every way.

You Are Having A Bad Day

Materially and financially you may be the wealthiest person in the town
But the wealthy at times too feel mentally down
For the wealthy have their money for to worry about
And like everyone else have their moments of self doubt
True happiness is not a gift of human kind
Anyone can be affected by moods of the mind
Those who feel happy at most times are lucky indeed
And of more of their kind the Human World is in need
It is hard for to smile when things are not going your way
When for you it has been a miserable day
For an economic down turn in loss of revenue you pay
Money does not free you of worries as the wise one does say
A multi millionaire one of the all time wealthy of the town
But you are having a bad day and feeling mentally down.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

In Koroit Town Today

Their ancestors brought here from Lands far away
The goldfinches singing in Koroit today
There is no mistaking their twittering song
Once seen and once heard one cannot get them wrong
So distinctive in their looks and in the songs they do sing
In Koroit in south western Victoria in the prime of the Spring
How pleasant to hear the male goldfinches sing
On this the twelfth of October a warm and sunny day
A freshening breeze from the south a sign that rain may not be far away
From Koroit in the Moyne Shire a historical old Town
It's strong links to old cultures one of it's claims to renown
In the sunny sky mostly blue just a few clouds of gray
And the goldfinches are singing in Koroit Town today.

In This Penning Of Rhyme

In this penning of rhyme for me no money and money is fame
As the late Neily Flynn used to say it is a hungry belly game
And though my physical best years now in the long gone
I do enjoy rhyming so i do rhyme on

In sports i do not have a glorious past to recall
As i was not any good at playing Gaelic Football
And in sports in Ireland Gaelic Football is seen as an important thing
And the praises of good gaelic footballers the gaelic football fans do sing

I remember Willie Neenan the best of Millstreet
He beat men a third of his age in his seventies an amazing athlete
If as the late great Willie i could run as fast
Today i could look back on a glorious past

And though to many it may seem a great waste of time
I am always happy when i am penning rhyme
It is something that i never could give away
And i hope to be doing it till my last night and day.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Michael Kelleher Will Climb Clara Mountain Again

On a day that is clear of the gray fogs of rain
Michael Kelleher will climb Clara Mountain again
Above the green countryside by Millstreet Town
Where he often climbed when his hair was light brown

Since he left Claraghatlea many Seasons ago
Time that rusts iron has become his foe
But he retains great love of his first homeplace
Where his years ago was a known and loved face

In his physical best years this is going back in time
Michael Kelleher was a mighty man in his life's prime
With Victoria's top pipe layers he held his own
In the pipe laying crews one who is widely known

Michael Kelleher will stand on Clara with views far and wide
Across the green fields of his home countryside
Back to Kippagh and Caherbarnagh and Gortavehy's face of stone
And into east Kerry beyond the Paps of Shrone

And talk of the past when old friends he will meet
As he enjoys a few beers in a pub in Millstreet
His strong love of the homeplace he does retain
And good memories of the past in him does remain

Good memories do live on as a source of joy
He will walk the old fields that he loved as a boy
And on a day that is clear of the gray fogs of rain
Michael Kelleher will climb Clara Mountain again.

Old Larry

Everytime he does smile one can see the gap in his teeth
Old Larry a fellow i sometimes does meet
The saying as Happy as Larry to him does apply
Wherever he is happiness is nearby
A few years ago to cancer Larry lost Jane his devoted wife
The mother of his children and the love of his life
The day of her funeral his saddest day
But that time heals all sorrows it does seem this way
A grandfather in his late seventies he now lives on his own
But he never talks of the sadness he has known
Looking well for his age though his hair silver gray
A smile from his face never that far away
A down to earth fellow free of any guile
The gap in his teeth shows each time he does smile.

Friday, October 10, 2014

In And Near Castlemaine

Few of them in Castlemaine remained to grow old
The young men who came south to grow wealthy in gold
From Asia and Europe and many northern Lands far away
The signs of their work in Castlemaine today

Of the holes in their diggings they left in the ground
In Central Victoria the stories of those who dug for gold do abound
A few struck it rich whilst for many of them no such gain
All of their effort in hard work for them all in vain

In the old graveyard at nearby Vaughan in unmarked graves the bones of long dead miners lay
The young migrant prospectors who did not live to grow old and gray
Many of them died on the diggings In Winters harsh and cold
And the stories of their lives may never be told

Today Castlemaine has other claims to renown
It is becoming known as a cultural and a tourist Town
A Town founded in the Central Victoria gold rush days of the mid nineteenth century
With links to the people of the Dreamtime in it's history

The first gold at Castlemaine was found by Christopher Thomas Peters at Barkers Creek and when news of his find leaked out
Young men from Asia and Europe to Central Victoria journeyed south
And in the diggings many holes in the ground as proof now remain
Of the young men who dug for gold in and near Castlemaine.

Rhyme Will Become Popular Again

The twenty first century literary critics only too willing to promote
The poetry of the non rhyming non musical poet
And dismiss every rhymer as a literary never do well
Since the best of rhyme to them is mere doggerel
In their literary criticisms they have helped for to bring about the death of rhyme
As something that belong to another time
They dismiss every rhymer as poetry's foe
And the bush poets from them never get a fair go
But the demise of rhyme is not to poetry's gain
And despite them rhyme will become popular again
A wise woman told me rhyme will rise from the dead
And i believe there is truth in what she said
Though the literary critics non rhyming poets do promote
And dismiss every rhymer as unworthy of note.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

I Know Life For You

I know life for you is not easy hard times you have known
But i too does have some worries of my own
Worries of the self and of the health of my wife
Suppose worry is a thing that is part of life
The one without any worry is one of a few
On this i am not saying anything that is new
Yes the one without worry is of a rare breed
And one who is lucky quite lucky indeed
Suppose you would not know how it feels like to be happy if you have never felt sad
And life at the worst of times is not all bad
At least for many people it is this way
Though it is not easy to laugh on for you a bad day
I know all too well life is not easy on you
But other people do have their worries too.

I Can Understand

I can understand asylum seekers wanting to live in Australia as Australia it is an amazing Land
But the way the Australian Government treat refugees is something that i cannot understand
They treat poor Stateless people as if they are criminals which is quite wrong as many would agree
You are sent to a foreign detention center if you come to Australia as a boat refugee
There are Australian boat refugees in Nauru and Manus Island and the Australian Government will have a detention center in Cambodia in a few months from now
There are votes in being cruel to Stateless people to pressure from rights for refugee groups they refuse to bow
The redneck voters sad to say are many and they never vote for compassionate politicians on election day
The people they vote into power for the Poor and Stateless unsymapathetic to be callous for them always seems to pay
It is a sad old Human World we live in when people of power treat poor people in such a way
Stateless people in search of a better life treated like criminals of humanity what does this to us say
That in the World there are a lot of people who to say the least seem bereft of empathy
For the poor and Stateless and the homeless people they never ever feel any sympathy
Of the people blessed of kindness and compassion the praises i feel happy for to sing
To me they are the people well worth knowing since hope to all humanity they bring.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Perhaps I Will Never

Perhaps i will never climb Clara again
Or in Spring hear the birds sing in the wind and the rain
When the cool winds of April from the mountains do blow
And the male pheasant in the rushy field does cuck and crow

Perhaps i will never again see the old Paps Of Shrone
Or rugged Gortavehy in it's face of stone
And hear the babble of the Claramore Rill
Flowing to Claraghatlea down the fields by the hill

Perhaps i will never again see the gray fog
Roll down Mushera Mountain and across Togher bog
In late Fall when the sun is hidden in the sky
And the lark for to sing from the ground does not fly

I only have mental images of Winter beauty i used to know
Of the Boggeragh Mountains in their hats of snow
This is all i have left of the what used to be
From my faraway past that has come south with me

I may never again walk the fields of July
With the warmth of the sun in the blue Summer sky
Though the pleasant aroma is with me today
Of grass freshly mown for silage or hay

In the quiet of the twilight just after sundown
In the beautiful countryside near Millstreet Town
I may never again hear the low of a cow
In a field that does border the River Finnow

Some things in reality i will never more see
Though mental images of my past i have brought south with me
And in memory i walk in the old fields again
And hear the birds sing in the wind and the rain.

Their Lives Are important To them

What is for the billionaire is for you too
Their lives are important to them as your's is to you
Whether you are of the exclusive club or in dire poverty
Your life is important to you is how it seems to me
Everybody's life is important to them this is how it should be
The billionaire's life is no more important than the homeless one or the refugee
Eventually every life's journey does come to an end
Everyone's life is important to them why otherwise pretend
Though the praises of celebrities the impressionable does sing
The inequality between people is a human created thing
Inequality between humans is based on a lie
Since all of us are born to eventually die
Your life is as important to you as my life is to me
And the millionaire's life is important to the millionaire is how it seems to be.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The One Who Is Cruel To Animals

The one who is cruel to animals can be cruel to humans as well
Of examples of this there are many and so many stories to tell
For cruelty does not have borders it is a power sort of a thing
But of the praises of anyone who beats their dogs you never hear anyone sing
Good leaders lead by good example and others they always inspire
It is not in their Nature to be cruel in them there is much to admire
But those who like to have power over others are those who believe they are born to rule
They do have in them the potential for to animals and humans to be cruel
I do know of a few cruel people who suffer of darkness of the mind
About them they do have a cruel way it is too hard for them to be kind
They beat their dogs their partners and their children they rule through the medium of fear
It is not of any good stories of them one does read of or hear
The one who is cruel to animals to humans too cannot be kind
Those who like to have power over others to cruelty seem all too inclined.

Quite Lucky Indeed

A warm bed to sleep in and three meals a day
I cannot complain life with me is okay
Many homeless people sleeping on park benches tonight
Life for them one can say is far from all right
It is not their choice to be homeless despite what some think or say
They did not choose for to live in this way
In so called wealthy Nations millions in poverty
No advantage to them in capitalism and democracy
In a World where money only matters the losers are compassion and empathy
Far too few who feel compassion for others in the Human World of the twenty first century
I have never been homeless or been a refugee
Compared to many i am lucky this is how it seems to me
With a house to live in and enough food for to eat what more does one need
I have always been lucky quite lucky indeed.

Monday, October 6, 2014

A September Day

The sweet scent of freshly mown grass for silage or hay
Is wafting in the breeze of a September day
And the golden bill blackbird his finest does sing
On this nice sunny day in the Southern Spring
The birds who do sing every day of the year
The songs of the magpies so pleasant to hear
And the parks lush and green after recent Spring showers
Are looking their finest in their Nature's wildflowers
A weather forecast high for the day of a pleasant twenty degrees
And pink blossoms adorning the fruit bearing trees
And groups of beautiful women in their Summer dresses walking up and down
The gravel paths in the park of the southern town
And the distinctive familiar calls of the black and white pee wee
His kind of bird every day i hear and see.

Compassion Is A Stranger To Them

Since this is their business and their business is not mine
What others do think of me does suit me fine
They do not help to pay my bills for me or help me in any way
So why should i lose any sleep to worrying of what others think of me or say
We are judged by our peers amongst others some in their words unkind
The unpaid judges of the World are not that hard to find
The praises of others too hard for them to sing
To be kind in their words it is just not their thing
The people who find pleasure in verbally putting others down
Do never become the best loved in the town
Some professional critics are paid big money for to criticize
But for the amateur critic there is no such a prize
In their words they never boost the fragile egos of those of low self esteem
Compassion is a stranger to them it does seem.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Old John Pete

Old John Pete is always happy though he has lived through the tough years
Lost his wife Jo and their ten year old daughter Kate in a motoring accident he knows of heartbreak and of tears
A lesser man would surely crumble at the loss of his child and wife
But John Pete is not a quitter he carried on with living life

Since he lost his wife and daughter forty Summers have gone by
That time does not heal the greatest sorrow is something one cannot deny
John Pete now in his mid seventies physically has known a better day
Yet he always seems so happy one who laughs his cares away

John Pete he never remarried he feels happy on his own
One who never dwells on what was and the sorrows he has known
For his years tall, fit and handsome though his hair is silver gray
He has a happy disposition young in his mind he does stay

John Pete is a happy person greets everyone with a smile
Quite a likeable old fellow down to earth and free of guile
People like him are worth knowing the town for them living in it a happier place
I have yet to meet old John Pete without a smile on his face.

Most Of Us Can Become Addictive

Most of us can become addictive or so it does seem
In our search for happiness or as an antidote to low self esteem
But there is nothing to envy in the addictive kind
As an addiction is never a gift to the mind
One can be addicted to gambling or addicted to sport
Or to alcohol or narcotics or some other hobby of sort
So many forms of addictions far too many to name
And no two addictions do seem quite the same
And since any form of addiction is not a good thing
Of the praises of such you may not hear many sing
I too am addictive since i feel compelled to pen rhymes every day
Even if i tried it is something i could not give away
I have an addiction but in that i am not alone
And leave it to the one who is perfect for to cast the stone.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

I Have Written Of

I have written of Claraghatlea, Annagloor and Dooneen
And the mental pictures i retain of the beauty i have seen
In the countryside by Clara near old Millstreet Town
Where i was known to many when my hair was dark brown
Of people i met in my journeys in life i have written many a rhyme
Since i commenced rhyming four decades ago this is going back in time
I have written rhymes of Australia's people and it's wildlife a Land that is very old
The story of it's first people in written history will never be told
So much natural beauty to write rhymes on in this great southern Land
Why it is so amazing to many one can well understand
I have been a rhymer for years of two score
And i write rhymes for enjoyment and little else more
I add to my numbers of rhymes every day
With rhyming words i am one who likes to play.

Eventually Time

Eventually time becomes everyone's foe
The fairest one in the town a decade ago
Now a divorcee and the mother of three young children some weight she did gain
As the fairest of the fair for long she did not remain

Just only a decade beyond her life's prime
One more to have become a victim of time
And the biological clocks ever ticking away
The youngest become victims of time one day

At twenty seven in the town the fairest of all
Unmarried and beautiful and the belle of many a ball
But the man she loved and married and the father of her children of her quickly did tire
He now has a younger beauty to make love to and admire

It is true about time it does not remain as your friend
It leaves us looking old why otherwise pretend
Ten years ago quite a beauty to behold
But in her late thirties she is overweight and looking old.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Thurles Joe

A fellow from Ireland from here far away
The passing of time has left him looking gray
From Thurles a famous old Tipperary Town
Where he used to live when his hair was light brown

He played under age hurling when he was a boy
A game many people in Tipperary enjoy
But he left the old Hometown when he was eighteen
The bigger World out there it was to be seen

One can say he has known a far better day
It has been sixty years since his last hurling game he did play
Quite fleeting indeed is the human life prime
In memory we only can go back in time

Last year Thurles Joe to cancer lost Ann his beloved wife
The mother of his children and for fifty years the love of his life
A kinder and more loyal and more loving person than her anyone could not have wished to have known
Ten time a grandfather he now lives on his own

At the local pub on a Saturday night
Seventy eight years old Joe of his worries makes light
One who is quite partial to his liter of stout
A sociable fellow he enjoys his night out

Money And Fame

Most people have their careers for to talk about
But in my late sixties i am one of those counted out
Of the race for success i have been dropped years ago
It does seem that time it has become my foe
Though success seems to belong to those of money and fame
Everyone's idea of it are far from the same
A subject on which everyone does not agree
The one who is successful to you may not be so to me
Though the majority see money and fame as the requisite to success it does seem fair to say
Not everyone does look at it in this way
Your ideas of what it takes to be successful are quite different to mine
You have your opinions and this does suit me fine
But having said this nevertheless
To many money and fame is their idea of success.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Old Yarra

Old Yarra the brown ageless river through Melbourne City does flow
On it's way to the Pacific Ocean by Southbank it crawls deep and slow
It's waters are not safe for drinking it looks rather muddy and brown
Some people like to refer to it as the river that flows upside down
Yarra was very old in the dinosaur age and very old in the Dreamtime
The river that winds it's way through Melbourne has inspired song, story and rhyme
Long before the birth of Melbourne in Summer in the shade of the trees
The local tribes of first Australians by the river had their corroborees
The rivers are as old as the mountains and of how old they are none will ever know
And old Yarra from the foot of Mt Baw Baw to the Pacific has and forever will flow
To be known as a World known river is one of it's great claims to fame
Long before the birth of the first human the rivers flowed without a name
And the river now known as the Yarra crawls onwards to the ocean shore
From it's birthplace at the foot of Mt Baw Baw it has and will flow forever more.

On Callanan

When Callanan wrote Gougane Barra he penned the impeccable rhyme
A poem that has survived for centuries and has outlived the Seasons of time
Though he died at a young age in Portugal from the place he glorified in verse far away
He surely was a master wordsmith and his legend is living today

There will never be one more quite like him for he had music in his song
His distinctive racy rhymes are full of rhythm in a class of his own he belong
In his time amongst the poets of Ireland he was one who was to the fore
He left for the far warmer climate and to his Homeland returned never more

The poems of J J Callanan works of great beauty he was one of the best of Ireland
His poems that have brought joy to so many are so easy to understand
He died and was buried in Portugal his legacy to humanity beautiful rhyme
His poems have a distinctive rhythm and have withstood the great test of time

The Convict Of Clonmel, Gougane Barra and The Recluse Of Inchydoney live as testament to his fame
And The Outlaw Of Loch Lene a work of great beauty so many great poems to his name
His journey in life in Cork did begin but in Portugal he lived his last night and day
And far from the River Lee waters his last remains forever does lay.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

I Have Been Told

I have been told i have said all i should say in rhyme
That as a rhymer i am one who has served his time
But i do love rhyming and despite what some does say
For as long as i live i hope not to give it away
And no shortage of subject material for to write rhymes about
On such a beautiful day in this town in the south
The weather quite pleasant around nineteen degrees
The familiar warblings of the magpies are carrying in the breeze
That blow from the sea through the park by the bay
On the last of September on a nice enough day
The park lush and green birds sing on bush and tree
In Nature in spring so much beauty to see
On the last day of September near the prime of the Spring
The wild birds of Nature chirp, whistle and sing.

Between Terrorists And Anti Terrorism Police

Between terrorists and anti terrorism police the difference is not that great
Since in either of them not much for to celebrate
Though anti terrorism police better than terrorists of them one can say
The World is not safer to live in because of them today
Their harassment of terrorists into the hands of terrorists does play
As the terrorists leaders do like it this way
For their only idea of life is to create hate
Their excuse for murdering innocent people for a so called autocratic religious State
The media help terrorists in some ways to succeed
For publicity for their horrible crimes they do need
The Government play their part in the broadcasting of fear
That talking of terrorists serve their cause well is obviously clear
To be seen to be tough on law and order served them well on Election day
Their broadcasting of fear for them does seem to pay.