Saturday, January 31, 2015

What We Do Unto Nature

Due to destruction of Natural Habitat and Climate Change
Many species of birds and animals becoming rare in their natural range
In a World of so much pollution brought about by human greed
Of more environmentally conscious people we are badly in need
More trees are being removed for development by greedy developers every day
And because of this many species of wildlife becoming rarer which does seem sad to say
Because of the removal of their cover birds and small creatures from predators have less places to hide
Sadly far too many human beings are not on Nature's side
All around the World many species of wildlife becoming rare
Not enough of people who are concerned about Nature's welfare
In a time of Climate Change more species are classified as endangered every day
And in extinction us humans no small part does play
What we do unto Nature to our own selves we do
This does apply to everyone and that includes me and you.

Of What They Would Rather Forget

In the schools in Ireland in the nineteen fifties by law corporal punishment was in place
And corporal punishment from a teacher entailed more than a slight slap on the face
Several strokes of a stick on the open hand did leave welts that caused pain
And though the physical and mental scars have long healed the bad memories remain

Of a time that some of the primary going school children then for all of the wrong reasons will never forget
When the only one spared of the cane happened to be the teacher's pet
An Ireland without corporal punishment in the schools better for the Irish school children of today
A change that is much for the better in truth one can say

And though bad memories from childhood into old age does last
We do have to move on in life since the past is the past
Corporal punishment in the classroom by cruel teachers used as an excuse
For the power and pleasure they received from inflicting on children physical abuse

The school children in Ireland of the nineteen fifties many decades past their physical prime
And they are now clearly showing the physical wear of time
And though the mental and physical scars have healed the bad memories live on
Of what they would rather forget from Seasons long gone.

Friday, January 30, 2015

To Me The Death Penalty Is Murder

Some Governments order the execution of drug runners after they have spent many years in jail
This is their idea of morality through justice but by their actions their ideas they do fail
Drug runners may not be good people but the death penalty for them or anyone unjustified
To have the death penalty in place in their constitution to any government should not be a sense of pride
If the wilful taking of human life is murder then the death penalty is murder too
For one to order the execution of another human being does seem such a callous thing to do
This person too does have a family and is grieved by a mum and a dad
You do not make yourself a good person by ordering the execution of one who is bad
To me the death penalty is murder i can see it in no other way
On this i only express my opinion though many may disagree with what i do say
Government leaders order the execution of murderers and drug traffickers if one of their own children were guilty of such a crime
They would not want them to be executed after serving years of prison time
To me the death penalty is murder leave the guilty to grow old in jail
Government leaders who order executions may see this as morality through justice but by their actions their ideas they do fail.

Not Many At All

Too old or too young or too fat or too thin
By physical appearance it is not easy to win
Too ugly and lanky and even too tall
Or of poor physical shape as well as too small
Some even at a young age are victims of Nature's own law
Though money a cover for almost every flaw
Since money speaks every language as the wise one does say
Without it one does seem lost in the Human World of today
Body shape especially amongst women nowadays is the in thing
The praises of female physical beauty many of the male kind does sing
But money speaks every language the wealthy sugar daddy his gray hair dyed brown
Walks out hand in hand with the prettiest young woman of the town
In the Human World of today some too thin or too fat or too tall or too small
And of those with the near to perfect body shape not many at all.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Since I Came To This Land

Since i came to this Land many Seasons ago
The old clock of time it has become my foe
My hair dark brown then it is now silver gray
And one can say i have known a far better day
I have not seen Hibernia's shores for near three decades of years
Yet i have shed all of my nostalgic tears
Though on my flights of fancy i can see again
Old Clara half cloaked in the gray fogs of rain
And river Finnow in flood waters of brown
Bank high in the rushy fields near Millstreet Town
And in March i hear the breeding frogs croaking in the flooded drain
Some things of the past in the memory remain
When i came to this land i was past my physical prime
And now i am wearing the wrinkles of time.

Billy The Self Professed Local Hero

Billy the self professed local hero his tongue tends to wag
Of how great a man he is in the pub he does brag
In his mid twenties in the physical prime of life
He says he is too busy sexuallly satisfying beautiful young women for to take a wife
Though it is said he has never had a girlfriend or made love to anyone
His braggart dad Billy senior in him has a like minded son
Those who know him never believe anything he does say
Since it is known that by his false sense of greatness he gets carried away
He is not handsome looking or intelligent and wise
And sadly for him he believes his own lies
Though nowadays it is not an uncommon thing
His own praises he only does like to sing
He has convinced himself he is the casanova of town
But when it comes to action he always lets himself down.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Connie Kelleher

Connie Kelleher for Millstreet Played Gaelic Football
And of his great games in the green and gold jersey many to recall
Loved by the Millstreet fans and a true gentleman
Though sadly of years of life he did not have a long span

It was with great pride he wore the green and gold
Today were he living he would be growing old
The Reaper of Lives did claim his life when young
But surely his praises deserve to be sung

In Millstreet Town his does live on as a great name
And The Connie Kelleher Cup is to honour his fame
He breathed his last many Seasons ago
And in life he was one who did not make a foe

Playing Gaelic Football was something that he did enjoy
He was in his prime when i was a schoolboy
A sporting hero then in old Millstreet Town
He was one who never did leave his side down

Connie Kelleher one long with the forever gone
But in the minds of those who knew him good memories of him live on
He was a good person in every way
And for Millstreet so many great games he did play.

On Tony Abbott's Latest Gaffe

It is okay for Australia's Prime Minister with the Queen and Prince Philip to enjoy a high tea
But making Philip a Knight of Australia for him and his Liberal Party not a good idea
Tony Abbott one might say has made another huge gaffe
It does seem like the head of the Government is only good for a laugh

At a time when the popularity of him and his Government amongst voters is at an all time low
On his appointment of Philip as a Knight of Australia much intelligence he does not show
On so doing he has only got more voters offside
Will he be Australia's Prime Minister six months from now only time will decide?

Bill Shorten and the Labor party their laughter struggling to suppress
It does seem like Tony has got himself in yet another political mess
Though it is two years till the Liberal-National Party Government the electorate must face
Tony Abbott as Prime Minister the Liberals may well replace

His ability to recover from his many mistakes is under the dark shadow of doubt
As Prime Minister Tony Abbott may well be on his way out
He is not politically astute for want of a better name
And for this he only has himself for to blame

Of making Prince Philip of England of Australia a Knight
He has the Labor Party and all political opponents grinning in delight
Even in his own Party at present he does need every friend
It could well be his time as Prime Minster is coming to an end.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

On Australia Day

A day for all Australians the Government leaders do say
And people in their green and gold colours on Australia Day
In the town park the citizen band does play
And the sun shining bright in the sky blue and gray
A day for all Australians to celebrate
Tonight in the pubs they will party till late
But some Australian Indigenous leaders with this does not agree
And their point of view on the matter is not hard to see
Since the first fleet arrived in Australia from England two hundred and twenty six years ago
That dispossession has been their lot happens to be so
Perhaps Australia Day should be shifted to another date
A day that indigenous and non indigenous Australians could celebrate
Until this happens Indigenous Australians with some justification can say
That the twenty sixth of January to them is Invasion Day.

The Pub Singer

One might say of him he was born to sing
And to entertain to him a natural thing
On Friday evenings in the local pub he strums on his guitar as he sings a song
And the pub patrons with him happy to sing along
To happiness he is one who does sow the seed
Every neighbourhood one like him surely does need
In his mid thirties his main interests in life
Are music and song and his two young daughters and wife
Tall and dark haired and handsome with a charm of his own
As a local musician and singer to many he is known
Of his sort one can say the World does need more
Always in the pub for him a loud encore
The pub singer strums on his guitar as he sings a song
And the patrons with him happy to sing along.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Far North In Duhallow

Far north in Duhallow it is cold enough for to snow
Where the swollen streams and rivers bank high do flow
In wet fields quite soggy after recent heavy rainfall
And the long range weather forecast cold, wet and windy overall

In January in Duhallow it is zero degrees
And migratory redwings thrushes are chirping on bare deciduous trees
In six weeks from now they will be flying north with speed
When the urge it is in them in their home woods to breed

The high fields by the mountain from overnight frost looking gray
In wintery old Duhallow not much sunshine today
The cattle in the farm yard sheds eating silage or hay
Some thirteen weeks of days and nights before the birth of May

Far north in Duhallow it is a cold and wet time of year
When the song of a songbird one never does hear
Though the weather often wet and cold and the sky of rain clouds seldom clear
Each passing day to Spring brings us one more day near.

Of What It Is Like To Be Destitute

Of what it is like to be destitute and without a friend
Is something that i could never comprehend
For i never had to live homeless and sleep rough
In life one might say i have been lucky enough
And i am one who is not without a friend
That i am one of the friendless why even pretend
But when i say my close trusting friends in the few
I am not saying on paper anything that is new
Ninety per cent unemployment on Poverty Street
Where a millionaire is one you are unlikely to meet
The lady of luck must be smiling on me
I would not know how it feels like to be a refugee
I can say of life it does treat me okay
I have a nice home to live in and i eat three meals a day.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

For War Crimes

For war crimes the losers only seem to pay
Since the winners write the history it is this way
The winning war leaders for their war crimes never take any blame
The losers are those who have to wear the shame
The winners only ever write war history
This is how it was and is and it will ever be
It does seem a fact that cannot be denied
It is only the losing war leaders who for war crimes are ever tried
Most war winners though criminals are honoured the facts never lie
Wealthy and privileged in old age and honoured when they die
Though nothing about them that is honourable at all
Some supposed to be great people in their ways are so small
For war crimes the losers only wear the shame
The winners for such never take any blame.

So Near Yet So far

To be short listed for a LAMA award Millstreet the first ever Duhallow website
Something for future North Cork historians about for to write
And though the favourites Clontarf took the best connected community prize
That Millstreet should reach the big final was quite a surprise

Sean Radley, Michael Cashman and Hannelie O Connor at the LAMA awards Millstreet did represent
And the hopes of all in Duhallow to Dublin with them went
Sean and Hannelie to Dublin by train and Michael by car
But sadly for them it was so near yet so far

And though losing is a thing anyone does not choose
For one for to win others have to lose
To the summit of ultimate success in 2015 Millstreet Website was near
And hopefully they will go one better next year

For any website to reach a LAMA final is a huge achievement indeed
And one can say of the administrators of Millstreet.ie that they did succeed
Of raising the profile of their Website Worldwide
On their achievement of reaching the LAMA finals they can take great pride.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Nature At Her Finest

The freshly mown paddocks scenting sweetly of hay
This indeed a beautiful January day
With only the faintest of a mild breeze
Gently stirring the green leaves of the sunlit trees
For to describe such beauty one can only try
Around the flowering bushes white butterflies fly
Everywhere i turn to look great beauty i see
Nature at her finest is all around me
In near perfect weather of twenty four degrees
The warm air full of the buzzing of flies and of bees
The warbling flute of the magpie melodious and clear
To Earthly Utopia today i feel near
The magpie larks in the park singing pee wee
Where the beauty of Nature is all around me.

Richie Goggin

On a cold evening in November of wind driven sleet
Not a good day to be out of doors in the Town of Millstreet
In the Town Square in passing he greeted with a friendly hello
This is going back in time twenty eight years ago

Richie Goggin he was a nice person indeed
And of more of his kind the Human World is in need
For he never harmed anyone in any way
I only speak of him what is true to say

Beyond Rathcoole in Duhallow his native place
He was liked by many and his was a known face
A quiet sort of a person and free of conceit
Such people as he was a pleasure to meet

Devoted to his children and to Dolores his wife
A person who did live an honourable life
One known in Duhallow for decades of years
His passing from life would not have gone without tears

For all of us there is a last night and day
In St Mary's by Cashman's Hill his last remains lay
Hope his parting from life for him was a painless release
The good man Richie Goggin may he now rest in peace.

Friday, January 23, 2015

The Follow On Crowd

Some people follow the leader as if they are sheep
And with similar company to themselves they do keep
Since they are a part of the follow on crowd
By the fear of being seen to be different they are easily cowed
The people who do not have minds of their own
For daring to be seen to be different they will never be known
For to hold beliefs of their own they are silenced by fear
With what is all wrong in society from them you never hear
Against the abuse of human rights they do never speak out
A better World for all to live in their kind will never bring about
Yet too many of their kind in the Human World of today
And this is a sad thing for to have to say
Those who dare to be different i can only admire
And of singing their praises i never could tire.

Poor Joe

Poor Joe on his memories is one who does not dwell
Since of his life he does not have good stories to tell
In hospital at present suffering of pneumonia and not feeling well
He does know about living in Earthly Hell
In his mid thirties his hair ten years ago light brown is silver gray
He has aged prematurely of him one can say
Homeless since his mid teens his parents in jail
By birth circumstance one more in life destined to fail
Without a home or children or partner or a wife
One who cannot look forward to living a long and happy life
But sadly people like Joe to be found everywhere
There are millions like him in the big World out there
Poor Joe on his memories would rather not dwell
Of his life he does not have nice stories to tell

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Of Your Kind

If you never harm anyone in any way
And do one good deed or a few every day
And help anyone of helping in need
Then of your future good Karma you are planting the seed
You may not be famous or even well known
Yet you are amongst those in a class of their own
And though you may never receive the credit you are due
To your higher self you are one who is true
For your generosity of spirit you i do admire
And of singing your praises i never could tire
Though many with what i say of you may not agree
Your life indeed a great success story to me
As a person you are one who is to the fore
And of your kind the World is in need of many more.

Even The Happiest Every Day

Can only say life to me has been quite fair
But i too have known of the dark moods of despair
Those who tell you they never feel unhappy themselves only deceive
Some people their own lies are known to believe
A lifetime of happiness does not seem possible to me
Though with such a statement there would be plenty to disagree
The one always laughing is dismissed as a clown
And who would wish for to be known as a fool of the town
A lucky one indeed the she or the he
Who at most times of worries and of cares is free
Though life has not been treating you in any way bad
There are times you are bound for to feel a bit sad
Of the workings of the human mind does anybody know
Even the happiest every day does not have the inner glow.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

In Yangery Today

For most of the morning the sun's lamp behind gray clouds was hidden away
Only spasmodic spells of sunshine in Yangery today
And the weather temperatures a pleasant high of twenty one degrees
With only the slightest of a coastal breeze
That brings with it the pleasant aroma of freshly mown hay
The natural fragrance of Nature in the air today
Though cash crop farmers are hoping for some rain
With such pleasant weather how can one complain
In Yangery in the Moyne Shire ten kilometres from the City of Warrnambool if that little more
And only twelve minutes by car to the Pacific Shore
A place of mixed farming where potatoes are grown
And for it's scenic coastal beauty a place widely known
In Yangery today the weather is pleasant and dry
Though the sun often hidden behind gray clouds of the sky.

Tomorrow For You

For you thus far it has not been a very good day
Since nothing does seem for to be going your way
For laughter in your life at present no place
But tomorrow may bring back a smile to your face
You have your own reasons for feeling and looking sad
But in life for us all there are good days and bad
Today you do not have the bright inner glow
The sad looking one few seem to care for to know
A sad face a reflection of a clouded mind
But then the everyday happy person is one of a rare kind
They do not spread happiness those who are feeling down
And few wish to know the sad sacks of the town
And since nothing does seem for to be going your way
Tomorrow for you may be a better day.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Though I Have Little Desire

Though i have little desire to be a billionaire
If i was i would have heaps of money with others to share
But compassionate and kind i would like to be
And for those doing it tough in life feel empathy
People of kindness and compassion great people indeed
And of more of their sort the Human World is in need
People of compassion and kindness do their good deeds every day
And to help people in need of helping go out of their way
Yet few of their sort known and famed Worldwide
And any honour of them is too often denied
Yet they are selfless people and for others they genuinely do care
And sad to say their kind are and have always been rare
For their generosity of spirit them i can only admire
And of singing their praises i never could tire.

Mark Ellis The Hurler

A famous Gaelic Games player and a marvellous athlete
Mark Ellis the hurler the Pride of Millstreet
As Millstreet's only ever Cork senior hurler in Ireland famed and known
One can say of Mark he is in a class of his own

Mark Ellis the skilful and tall centre half back
From the heart of the defence sends Cork into attack
In the big hurling parks of Ireland he has carved his renown
A man to be proud of in old Millstreet Town

Dark haired and handsome the Cork fans of him feel so proud
When the sliothar is with Mark the cheering is loud
From a Town of many famous Gaelic Footballers a great hurling player
In Millstreet with Mark Ellis no other hurler that one can compare

A Cork senior hurler from Millstreet i never thought i would see the day
For his Club in the green and gold great games of football and hurling he does play
With the best centre half backs in hurling in Ireland Mark Ellis does rate
In Millstreet they now have their own hurling great.

Monday, January 19, 2015

If I Had The Power

Since i am not as fragile as a petal of a flower
I too might be dangerous if i had power
For power does corrupt as the wise one does say
And corruption amongst power brokers is rife in the Human World of today
It is true it is paved with good intentions the roadway to hell
And some people for power their honor does sell
Were i in their position would i be any different perhaps i may well not be
Since power does swell the ego as most would agree
Were i in a position of power over others i might use it in a negative way
As so many do in the Human World of today
Of more of the sort who use power in a constructive way the Human World is in need
For such people are an asset to humanity indeed
That i do not have power over others i do not feel one bit sorry at all
Since many such people sad to say in their ways are very small.

January In Mushera

In Mushera today the cold wind soughing in the deciduous trees
In weather temperatures close to if not lower than zero degrees
From overnight frost the high fields by the mountain looking gray
You will not hear birdsong by the Boggeraghs today

The steep and narrow Butter Road on it has patches of ice
Those who drive on such roadways must be prepared for to pay the price
Of the cost of damage to your car or to self serious injury
As accidents happen on mountain roads that are not ice free

January in Mushera is a cold and a wet time of year
And in the pine wood by the mountain the cooing of wood pigeons one does not hear
And the sky of rain clouds it is seldom clear
Though with each passing day the Spring one more day near

At a time of year when grass refuse for to grow
And the Boggeraghs often in their hats of snow
Where the high Butter Road through Aubane does wind up and down
Towards it's end at the Tanyard close to Millstreet Town

When January with a cold icy breath does blow
The swollen waterways often bank high do flow
Down the high fields of Mushera from here far away
Where the sun is not likely for to shine today.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Than Our Earth Mother

Her wonders are many and her secrets not few
Yet every day of her we learn something new
For our very survival on her we depend
Than our Earth Mother we do not have a greater friend
The one who supports us for as long as we live
Yet we take and take from her and in return to her little give
That we do not respect her is a sad thing to say
Men dig up her ground for her treasures every day
Yet for our abuse of her for us there will be a price to pay
For what goes around comes around life is this way
To every life form in the World a true friend indeed
Since like us for their survival her they do need
Though unlike us for her there will never be a last night and day
And in her earthy bosom our last remains will lay.

Why Somebody's Loss

Why somebody's loss is another's gain
Is something beyond me even to try to explain
Though some who claim to know better than me do say
That i am rather silly for thinking or talking this way
Since this is how the Human World is meant for to be
Only in death of rank and inequality we will be free
For as long as we live life will go on as the same
Not everyone meant to know of wealth and fame
Only Life's Reaper the great equalizer makes all equal one day
The one who on all life forms has the final say
But in life that somebody's loss become someone else's gain
Is how it is and how it will remain
Till the Reaper of lives bring our lives to an end
The one who to anyone is not a friend.

Where I Was Known To Many

Where i was known to many when my hair was dark brown
Today i may not recognize many in old Millstreet town
And i might not recognize many in Claraghatlea in view of Clara Hill
But i surely would recognize the Claramore Rill
That begins it's long journey to the Atlantic Shore
On a steep field at the foot of green Claramore
The rill that inspired song and story and rhyme
Would not have changed any with the passing of time
And the old fields of Claraghatlea to me would look much the same
Many of them i remember by their given name
And the song of the dipper i would recognize
Amidst the babbling waters just after sunrise
Us humans age quickly beyond our physical prime
But few things in Nature change much over time.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Old Francie The Rhymer

Old Francie the rhymer will never be a poet
Nor is he one worthy of literary note
But true to his calling he writes rhymes every day
We are what we are as the wise one does say

The hair on his balding head is silver gray
Old Francie the rhymer with rhyming words likes to play
Amongst the known rhymers not one to the fore
He writes rhymes for the love of it little else more

From the home of the badger the rook and brown trout
Old Francie the rhymer has found his way south
And though where he now lives he is one from elsewhere
He has not seen much of the big World out there

His numbers of rhymes through the Seasons have grown
By Frank or by Francis he also is known
Any of his rhymes may not outlive his own mortality
Since a rhymer at best is the best he can be

Old Francie the rhymer his physical best days long gone
But true to his calling in life he rhymes on
He adds to his numbers of rhymes every day
He is just one with rhyming words who does like to play.

The Deep Pangs Of Sorrow

The deep pangs of sorrow you too would have known
When in the darkness of your room you have wept on your own
Soulful tears for a loved one you would never more see
How sad very sad sometimes living can be

So many things we remember that moves us to sorrowful tears
That live in our memory as we look back the years
The tears of lost love and nostalgia and for a loved one deceased
It does ease grief's burden when tears are released

Yes in the shedding of tears there can be some relief
In the burden on your mind of personal grief
None of us go through life without bearing some cross
Without knowing of the deep sorrow and grief of loss

It is true in a joyful crowd one can feel sad and alone
Us humans have feelings we are not made of stone
The deep pangs of sorrow you too would have known
When in your dark room you have wept on your own.

Friday, January 16, 2015

In Australia The Great Land

It has inspired the artists and the writers of story and rhyme
This great Land Australia that is so old in time
It's first race of people sixty thousand years old
By scientists and anthropoligists we have been told
The home of marsupials such as wombat, wallaby, koala and kangaroo
Creatures in most other Countries that are only seen in a zoo
And parrots such as rosellas, lorikeets, galahs and white cockatoo
And corellas and budgerigar and the big dark brown weerloo
And big flightless birds emu and cassowary that are widely known
One can say of them they are Australia's own
The home of the wattle and pittosporum and eucalypt tree
In Australia the great Land so much beauty to see
It's wild and rugged beauty to many is known
And one can say of it that it has a charm of it's own.

Joan Duggan

In the West End she lived for most of her long life span
Joan Duggan a sister to Ka and to Dan
A quietly spoken person her friends in her lifetime had grown
As a science teacher to generations of students she was well liked and well known
One of the long lived people in the Town of Millstreet
Nice people like Joan was are a pleasure to meet
The changes keep happening in old Millstreet Town
The streets of the West End never more to walk up and down
She may be one more to the forever gone
But in those who knew her good memories of her will live on
In her lifetime by good example one who did lead the way
Of her this would only be true for to say
Hope her parting from life for her a painless release
The beautiful Joan may she now rest in peace.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

By The Boggeraghs Today

Above the fields in view of Clara the sky looking gray
It has rained overnight and more rain on the way
In the farmyard sheds the cattle are bellowing for silage or hay
It is windy and cold by the Boggeraghs today

The strong January wind has the cold breath of snow
And the mottled gray migratory redwing thrushes chirp on bare trees and hedgerow
They will be flying north for to breed in the Spring
And in far away woods they will whistle and sing

In January in Duhallow the sky of rain clouds seldom clear
And the songs of the wild birds is something one does not hear
Though house sparrows the birds who do not have a song
Everyday in the backyards do chirp all day long

The Finnow bank high in flood waters of brown
Babbling loud as it races towards the Blackwater in rushy wet fields by Millstreet Town
And the cold wind from the Boggeraghs howling in the bare trees
On weather temperatures low if not lower than zero degrees

This is only a rhyme of a life i did know
Of a time of year when grass refuse to grow
In the fields of Duhallow from here far away
The sun does not shine on the Boggeraghs today.

Where The Colours Of Nature

A magpie is singing on a sunlit gum tree
Where the colours of Nature are all around me
The recently mown paddocks looking gray to brown
Ten minutes by car from the old country town

On the twelfth day of January in a warm time of year
The songs of the magpie larks pleasant to hear
And grey shrike thrush whistles on leafy green wattle tree
Where the colours of Nature are all around me

They do make for what is a beautiful sight
White and brown butterflies seemingly dancing in the warm sunlight
Around the flowering gum trees in the gentle breeze
On a weather forecast high of thirty degrees

The best things in life it is true can be free
And Nature's own beauty we do not pay to see
Where Nature resides peace and beauty is there
Her amazing colours around me everywhere.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

You And Me

The one who is successful to you may not be so to me
Since we all look at such things in ways differently
Going by what you say that you are materialistic one has to be aware
Since you do not consider anyone as successful who is not a millionaire
You do not consider to be seen as successful the compassionate and kind
Since to you those who care about life's battlers are soft in the mind
And that many do share your views seems a sad thing to say
Far too many materialistic people in the Human World of today
And changes for the better in the Human World your sort never bring
Since the praises of the wealthy and the greedy you only do sing
And since you and i look at life in a different way
Meeting you never does help for to make my day
We look at life quite differently you and me
On most things we just cannot seem to agree.

Fading Mental Pictures

Fading mental pictures with me only remain
Of places and faces i may not see again
Due to restricted finances i may never return to where my life's journey began
To where i was born into life and and grew into a man
Money is quite important why otherwise pretend
And for to travel you need lots of legal tender to spend
Unless my financial status does improve here i will stay
And maybe even live out my last night and day
Perhaps today i would be a stranger to many i would meet
In Claraghatlea my first homeplace by the Town of Millstreet
Even the sense of nostalgia has faded in me
I no longer yearn for the what used to be
Yet sometimes in my flights of fancy the chaffinch does sing
On a leafy birch tree in a faraway Spring.

To Them I Am One

To them i am one from a place elsewhere
Just one more migrant amongst them from the big World out there
Though they are quite nice people in case you get me wrong
In their tribe i am one who could never belong

Though we do enjoy the taste of similar beer and wine
Their views on life and upbringing quite different to mine
Though some things in common i know we do share
Amongst human beings most surely this is not rare

What is wrong to me to them may seem right
Yet like me they have their inner demons to fight
Since life is only meant to be easy for the privileged few
On this i am not saying anything that is new

When i meet them they always do say good day
A friendly greeting on passing my way
But the bond of friendship between us will not grow
And them i will never really get to know.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

May Kennelly

To her children a good mother and to the late Tadgh Kennelly a good wife
By the Killarney Road near Millstreet Town May spent most of her long life
She was such a beautiful person down to earth and free of guile
One who greeted everybody with a warm and lovely smile
Such sad news out of Millstreet May Kennelly has passed away
That Millstreet was better for her living in it does seem a fair thing for to say
One who never made an enemy and to many was a good friend
She will always be remembered though her life has come to an end
She will be missed by many in the Town in view of Clara Hill
Every community need people like her as the spreaders of goodwill
To her family and friends her passing is a sad loss indeed
Of far more people like May Kennelly the Human World is in need
In the quietness of St Mary's by Cashman's Hill her last remains do lay
That she lived as a decent human being of her is true to say.

Worrying

By worrying about them your problems from you will not go away
It only makes them seem bigger as the wise one does say
The more you do worry the more your problems multiply
That worrying only breeds more worries seems hard to deny
Top experts on human health have come to realize
That worrying to cancer and heart failure is known to give rise
Perhaps one reason for the sharp increase on deaths by cancer and suicides and heart failures today
That worrying is detrimental to your health does seem fair to say
The town's former richest person in the town cemetery lay
From where he will never rise and walk away
So lucky the person the he or the she
Who can laugh at life and of worries live free
With his or her lot in life feeling quite satisfied
Such a person will never commit suicide.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Humphrey Kelleher

In Gaelic Football for Millstreet, Ballyclough, Cork and Munster he never left the side down
There will never again be one like Humphrey Kelleher at least not in Millstreet Town
As a teenage boy he was as big and strong as a strong adult man
Yet sadly his life in time did not seem a long span

On his fifty ninth year of life Humphrey passed away
The Iron man from Millstreet of him the late Michael O Hehir used to say
One of the great fullbacks of Gaelic Football in his life's prime
But sadly the best of them eventually become victims of time

A powerhouse who was feared by opposition forwards on the field of play
But in life one who did make new friends every day
For about him he did have quite a likeable way
And he lived as an honourable fellow of him one can say

Far beyond the borders of Millstreet and Duhallow's green countryside
Humphrey Kelleher became famous and was known far and wide
One of the great characters in Ireland of the Gaelic Football game
Where as a sterling fullback he made for himself a name

A great Gaelic Footballer admired and well liked and widely known
A hero of Cork and one of Millstreet's own
Where peace reign supreme his last remains do lay
So many great games at fullback he did play.

You May Be

You may be quite poor and dismissed as a never do well
But you like all others have stories to tell
Of how you have lived since your life's journey began
There is a life story in the lives of every woman and man
It is not of the wealthy and famous that i wish to read of or of hear
Since they are in the news every day of the year
I would rather to read of one who does live rough
Who survives in a place where the toughest to survive does find it quite tough
Like the homeless and hungry of Poverty Street
Where a millionaire is one you never will meet
People who are down but refuse for to be counted out
To me their lives though quite tragic are worth reading about
Since to the word of failure they do give the lie
In their refusal for to lay down and die.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Old Billy

He has grown tired of life and living his better days in the long gone
But old Billy was never a quitter with life's battle he will go on
An aging man in his late seventies he has fought his own demons in life
He has had a few women in past years though without children and without a wife

On his best years a renowned shearer in the shearing sheds one of the best
And in the country town pubs he drunk hard with great strength and good health he was blessed
But a heart attack in his early sixties his shearing and drinking days brought to an end
On his giving away of drinking alcohol to himself he has proved a good friend

On the south side of the town in a brick unit old gray haired Billy lives on his own
Though sometimes he feels down in spirit since better days healthwise he has known
In the town park i do meet him sometimes he remains nostalgic for the past
He likes to reminisce on the good days but the good days do not always last

Of life and living he feels weary but he will live for as long as he can
He will never be branded as a quitter the likeable and the brave man
Old Billy to me not a stranger though him i do not meet every day
Too old to return to the lifestyle that he loved that years ago he gave away.

I Want To Live On

Far younger than i am are amongst the dead
My best years behind me old age is ahead
I am happy for to have seen in another New Year
Though that time is not on my side to me is obviously clear
The passing of time has left me balding and gray
But i feel happy to welcome every new dawn of day
I want to live on for as long as i can
And die in my sleep without pain as a very old man
From the mid sixties to the mid seventies i was in my life's prime
But this is going back many Seasons in time
And time that rusts iron does take care of all
The great tree of the forest does eventually fall
But i want to live on for as long as i can
And die in my sleep without pain as a very old man.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Alphonse From Ostrava

Alphonse from Ostrava of the Czech Republic from here far away
Has not been back to his home City for many a day
He arrived in Geelong in Victoria six years ago in May
But with a year old daughter and an Aussie wife he is in Geelong for a long stay
In his twenty seventh year in the prime of his life
Alphonse is devoted to his daughter and to his Aussie wife
He says he will visit Ostrava with his wife and child next Spring
When the nesting songbirds in the parks and groves do whistle and sing
Far from his landlocked European Country in Geelong by the Pacific shore
Alphonse was homesick for awhile but not anymore
A tall and dark haired handsome carpenter in his physical prime
He is happy and settled in Geelong on his side he has time
In Geelong in Victoria Alphonse from Ostrava is a happy man
Far south of the City where his life's journey began.

A Warm Day In January

The weather temperatures feel quite oppressive a high of thirty five degrees
And it even feels warm out of the sunshine in the shade of the tall trees
The dry humid air is far from pleasant in the stillness of the afternoon
And many do hope for a cool change for them it cannot come too soon
With January blowing out it's warmest on what is a warm time of year
And we well may be in for a heat wave since the warmest of Summer is near
In the Adelaide Hills of South Australia the bush fires are burning where many homes have been burnt to the ground
In places where the bush fires have been through the grief of financial loss does abound
The warm air is full of the buzzing of millions of bees and bush flies
And the temperatures have been steadily rising since a half an hour after sunrise
It is not good weather for birdsong though i hear the call of the pee wee
And the long billed corellas are calling on the tall trees quite close to me
The humidity is quite oppressive it is even warm in the shade of the trees
It is not a nice day to be outdoors on a temperature high of thirty five degrees.

Friday, January 9, 2015

His Heart Rule His Head

With a permanently flattened nose
Which does tell it's own story one has to suppose
That his face has taken a few punches in his life
From his muscular, big and violent wife
For our wrong choices in life one must say
There is always some price for to pay
He should have married another instead
Of her but the poor bloke his heart rule his head
She often beats him and their primary school going son and daughter as well
And life for them with her is an Earthly Hell
And yet with her he chooses to stay
From love he cannot walk away
The nose on his face as flat as a pancake
Suppose in life we do pay for our every mistake.

Smokin Joe

The great Smokin Joe in the forever gone
But good memories are bound to live on
Of the great heavyweight boxer that he used to be
His World heavyweight championship fights with Foreman and Ali live in sports history

A World Heavyweigh Boxing Champion four decades ago
A man amongst men then the great Smokin Joe
A fighter who won more championship fights than he lost
But even for champion boxers in boxing there is some physical cost

To his higher self Smokin Joe he was true
And he did fight the best for to give him his due
Gracious in defeat and exuberant in victory
In his lifetime he created his own legacy

A World champion born in South Carolina in the boxing hall of fame
One known as Joe Frazier Smokin Joe his nickname
Amongst the deceased at peace he does lay
One can say of him quite a man on his day.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

When You Lose A Friend

When you lose a friend for whatever reason you are surely the poorer indeed
For friends in your life are important and every friend you do have you do need
So treat your friends with love and kindness since in your life they are hard to replace
For even with good friends to count on at times the challenges of life can be tough to face
Your friends they do never forsake you when life does have you feeling down
When few have no wish for to know you as another sad sack of the town
At such times your friends you are in need of so everytime you lose a friend
In your life you have lost someone to you who is special why otherwise even pretend
You do need all the friends you do have and good friends to say the least few
This is something you would have heard often for this is something that is not new
The saddest thing about the mega rich people is that they do not know who their friends are
Since you cannot buy for yourself true friends with the gift of a house or a car
When you lose a friend you lose someone to you who is special for friends at the best of times rare
Am i telling you something you know of and of which you are already aware?

What Has Happened In Paris

What has happened in Paris can happen anywhere
In any city, village or town in the big World out there
These are horrible people the criminals of hate
In their callous murders for their god Worldwide fear they do create
Somewhere on their life's journey they have gone wrong
In any sort of religion they are not wanted and they do not belong
Their mission of murderous hatred is destined for to fail
If captured alive they will at least spend the rest of their lives in jail
On the religion they feel so proud to be part of they only bring shame
These murderers are the worst sort of criminals and religious only in name
On their mission of spreading fear through the worst sort of crimes they will not succeed
For their own demise they are only planting the seed
And what has happened in Paris can happen anywhere
In any village, city or town in the big World out there.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

It Is My Little

It is my little Karen and Linda and my little Johnny and Fred
And my little Jane and Roseanna and my little Timmy and Ted
In that all of our children are special my husband Joe does agree
And what makes me even more happy is all of them do look like me

I keep telling them they are special their equal not be found anywhere
On doing so i am building in them some self confidence for life in the big World out there
A World that can be hard to live in where some people keep dragging you down
I am not raising my beautiful and special children to become the failures of the town

I know that my children are special why should i pretend otherwise
For any mother on their children not to feel like i feel to say the least would not be wise
I am not raising my sons and my daughters to live their lives in poverty
But i know that this will not happen since my children are born of me

I must not teach them for to respect others since for to achieve success this is not the in thing
My life lesson to them is simple their own praises they always should sing
It is a tough World the World out there where only the strongest succeed
Where for one to become materially successful a strong sense of self one does need

It is my littel Andy and Peter and my little Sharon and Ann
And my little Rosy and Tammy and my little Billy and Stan
They were born of me a great person after their dad in me planted the seed
And they do have the bloodlines in them that are needed in life to succeed.

Tower Hill

Tower Hill in South West Victoria near Koroit is a historical place
A spiritual home to Budj Bim an old indigenous race
Where emu, koala, grey roo and black wallaby live wild and free
In a volcanic valley where there is so much beauty to see
A place re-vegetated from the paintings of Eugene Von Guerrard an artist in Seasons long gone
Today the old natural beauty of Tower Hill lives on
Where South West Victoria's first people often assembled and had their corroborees
In long gone Summers in the shade of the trees
This was long before Victoria was named for an English Queen
And long before the arrival in the south west of the first European
Going way back in time more than two centuries ago
But that time brings with it changes happens to be so
And on Tower Hill lake one can see and hear
Waterbirds in all Seasons and every day of the year.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

I Am From The Place

I am from the place where the green rushes grow
In the fields of the brown hare and silver back crow
And a little of Nature's ways i came to know
Of where Finnow to the Blackwater ever does flow

And since i am one unworthy of literary note
I cannot lay claim to the title of poet
Though for many years i have been a rhyming buff
And i am one who has penned many pages of stuff

And here in this great sunny Land of the south
There is plenty in Nature for to write rhymes about
On this pleasant evening in early January
A silver billed magpie is piping on a sunlit wattle tree

And familiar to many and familiar to me
The song of the magpie larks that sound like pee wee
Medium sized black and white birds i do see and hear every day
From where humans frequent they are never far away

And though her wonders are many and her secrets not few
Of Nature every day we do learn something new
That in life we never stop learning does seem true to say
Though all of the wisdom and knowledge we acquire with us may not stay

Till the day we do die whenever that will be
Though most things of the past live in our memory
And though the best days in my life in the forever gone
For as long as i live i hope to rhyme on.

I Saw Him The Great Willie Neenan

The fox on the high field was barking in a voice though familiar wild and shrill
In the cold depths of mid Winter when January was blowing out it's chill
The pale moon did offer a faint light in memory time does stand still
I saw him the great Willie Neenan running on the high road to Bealach Hill

Alone with his thoughts on the high road the passionate athletic man
One who took on the best in the World and his legend the decades does span
On the steep road that leads to Kilmeedy the seeds of his greatness were sown
The miles he ran in training and racing would at least be a million if known

On a high road that most only walk on he ran at a good pace in the moonlight
His dark shadow on the road with him and no other human in sight
Towards the flatter road in Kilmeedy he did increase speed down the height
Leaving Bealach alone in it's loneness the great man he was out of sight

He ran against the best in the World and by him younger athletes inspired
To him running it did come natural one who never easily tired
Again he had conquered old Bealach the one with the untiring feet
On his way to Millstreet Town to Ballydaly the legendary Millstreet athlete

A white backed magpie was warbling on a wattle in the grey dawn of a Summer's day
As i awoke to realize i was only dreaming of a man from a place far away
The great person and great athlete Willie Neenan all is quiet where he now does lay
One who had run many miles in his lifetime how many could anyone say?

Monday, January 5, 2015

The Roadway Of Life To Nowhere

I am on the roadway of life that will lead me to nowhere
And the roadway of life to nowhere never takes one to anywhere
I was nearer to the town of life's success in my physical prime
And this is going back the Seasons some four decades in time
I never felt the need to go to war to fight in conflicts far away
Since what is known as life's battle i must fight every day
In each to their own as some do say some truth you will find
The struggle for survival of body and of mind
The life's road that leads to nowhere will one day have an end
For death is sure to find me on this i can depend
And even those who know of wealth and fame and live in success town
Will eventually fall victim of life's reaper one who does not respect wealth and renown
I am on the road of life that will lead me to nowhere
And the roadway of life to nowhere never takes one to anywhere.

Everytime I Pass A Cemetery

A place where you cannot make an enemy and you cannot make a friend
Everytime i pass a cemetery i think of my own end
The dead do not have laughter or worries or tears
Or any sort of memories that come from their past years
Yet underneath the grave stones where the dead bodies lay
Live some of the living life forms that survive on decay
People like Nature's Seasons to life do come to and from then go
And time that does rust iron eventually becomes everybody's foe
Everytime i pass a cemetery it reminds me of my mortality
The bell that farewells the deceased will one day farewell me
And every passing second to death brings me more near
And though death it is a part of life it is the thought of it i do fear
Where you cannot make an enemy and you cannot make a friend
Each time i pass a cemetery i think of my own end.

Sunday, January 4, 2015

In The Age Of Self Promotion

Taking photos of self and texting friends nowadays does seem the in thing
And many indeed far too many their own praises only too willing to sing
In the age of self promotion with most self is the word of the day
Me and my family and close friends what matters most we are okay
If there are wars in the World this is no business of ours
Of this why should we be worrying and losing out on precious sleep hours
And if there are millions homeless and hungry for this we are not to blame
That we are okay is all that does matter their hard lives is not our shame
To the age of self promotion empathy is losing out
That many are locked in their own selves is something that goes without doubt
Compassion this thing of great beauty to many a thing of the past
In this the age of self promotion human values changing fast
Taking photos of self and texting friends nowadays does seem the in thing
And many indeed far too many their own praises only too willing to sing.

On The Second Day Of January

With warmth in the sunshine and warmth in the breeze
A weather temperature for the day of near forty degrees
The sun blazing hot in the blue and sunny sky
And so very warm the ground is so dry
White butterflies seemingly dance in the sky around the bushes and trees
And the warm air full of the buzzings of flies and of bees
With the warmest of Summer to us very near
On what is a very warm time of the year
In the flat coastal countryside by Warrnambool
The cattle lay by the tall trees to keep cool
Much discomfort to many creatures such high temperatures does bring
Too hot and too dry even for birds to sing
On the second of January a very warm day
But the weather forecast does have a cool change on the way.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

On The Last Time I Saw Margaret And Michael

On the last time i saw Margaret and Michael the cold winds of December did blow
And the slopes of Mushera Mountain were white with big patches of snow
I did not tell them i was leaving that from the Boggeraghs i would soon be miles away
The word of farewell always has been for me a hard word for to say

Since the last time i saw Michael and Margaret going back twenty eight years ago
Tooreenbawn has been through many changes and time it has become my foe
Though the high fields in view of old Mushera would not have changed with the passing of time
The babies born in the mid nineteen eighties are now in their physical prime

When last i saw Margaret and Michael deciduous trees of their leaves quite bare
In December by the Boggeragh Ranges the days without rain are quite rare
The migratory redwing thrushes were chirping on every bush, tree and hedgerow
And the drains and streamlets full of brown rainwater down to the bank high river quickly did flow

When last i saw Margaret and Michael the chill winds of December did blow
Across the high fields in view of Mushera on weather cold enough to snow
I little thought then that in parting that them i would never more see
Their last remains at rest forever in Millstreet Town's old Cemetery.

Kathy Mary

Whenever i meet Kathy Mary she has a big smile on her face
She never is cranky or grumpy in her mind for such things no space
Unmarried in her early fifties she does not have a man in her life
Though she has had a few part time lovers she never wishes to be anyone's wife
She works in the telephone exchange and at the weekends with her friends socialize
The woman who loves for to party to laughter she always gives rise
She says life's too short to be lonely the woman who laughs every day
She is such a likeable person so charming in her own sweet way
She confesses she has never been in love though this does not bother her one bit
For her age she looks quite attractive with charm and humor and wit
With wavy greying hair to her shoulders that two decades ago was nugget brown
She remains a beautiful woman one of the finest in her side of the town
Whenever i meet Kathy Mary she greets me with a beautiful smile
Such a likeable and friendly person untainted by conceit or guile.

Friday, January 2, 2015

G And G

G and G are a couple i know a few years past their physical prime
Yet a long way from their lives Autumn though they too will get to there in time
Though they are far more than platonic they are legally not man and wife
One can say of them they are partners that they have come together in life

The male G he is rather clever though quite an opinionated chap
If you tell him human life is based on destiny he will dismiss your opinion as crap
His ideas on life to mine different but like is said to each their own
When i say on life we all have our opinions i am saying to all what is well known

The female G she can be rather bossy but in other ways she is quite kind
A person quite true to her feelings and when needs be she does speak her mind
Sometimes herself and the male G do kiss and cuddle and together walk hand in hand
But they too have been known to argue love's ways can be hard to understand

With two dogs and three cats living with them many similar interests they do share
And though they do have their good and bad times in love relationships this is not rare
True love does have it's up and down times with G and G it is this way
They may even grow old together and as lovers in their old age stay

They are two i do not see often a few times a year them i do meet
They are quite in love at the present and all between does seem sweet
And the present is all that does matter and who knows for us what lay ahead
For in life there is only one certainty and that is eventually we all end up dead.

People Can Be Deceptive

The man who has known of much material success in his life
Is not nice to his children or to their mother his wife
Admired by the impressionable of his side of the town
It is true about money that it can be your ticket to renown
But he is not all to many that he does appear
With a few alcohols in his wife and two young sons of him live in fear
They are often seen with bruises in public at home he is not a nice husband or dad
In him as a person there is less good than bad
His wife has confided in a close friend that with him she will not stay
That she and their five and six year old sons will go to live in a town far away
One evening when he comes home from his business office they will not be there
They will be on a train to a new life elsewhere
In public he only displays his nicer side
That people can be deceptive cannot be denied.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

My New Year Resolution

Most people for the New year have some resolution or life plan
Mine is for to live as a better man
And not be judgmental of others as well i can be
And for those doing it tough show more compassion and more empathy
We all can do better as one ought know well
And on their own self improvement each individual ought dwell
On how you treat other people is all up to you
Though you cannot be true to others if to your own self you are not true
The things known as love and peace are born within
You can help to create a better World to live in
If you can do help anyone of your help in need
And on so doing of your future good Karma you are planting the seed
I do not ask much out of living at all
Compared to some my New Year resolution must seem rather small.

On The Eve Of New Year's Eve

Suppose to be thirty degrees on New Year's Day if the weather forecast you can believe
But it is quite cool and blustery on the eve of New Year's Eve
Without much warmth in the sunshine for the time of year
In the cool spell between the heat waves and warmer weather near
The weather changes quickly one might say acting strange
But then of course we are in the age of Worldwide Climate Change
The brown paddocks dry from sun and wind in need of far more rain
And though we had a few heavy showers this morning the ground has dried out again
In one of the World's driest Countries not near enough of rainfall
But every shower is welcome and better than none at all
Two days ago a top of thirty two today a high of nineteen
And where water irrigators are not in use you will not see any green
The ground does dry out quickly in the thirsty sun and breeze
And on New Year's Day a forecast high of thirty five degrees.