Wednesday, August 31, 2016

The Know All People

Old words of wisdom so nice to recall
That those who think they know everything know little at all
That we do learn as we live they fail to realize
The know all does never become knowledgeable or wise
Their own praises many are known for to sing
But yet to be born is the one who knows everything
Every know all knows everything with them this is how it does seem
One thing a know all does not of is how it feels like low self esteem
Of know all people i do know of my share
And it can be said of them that they are not rare
To meet one you do not need to travel far
Just stop in for a drink at your local bar
Those who think they know everything fail to realize
That they do know so little this is not a surprise.

Only Memories Of What Was

Only Memories of What was i have to retain
I may never walk in the old fields again
And see the Boggeraghs in the gray fogs of rain
Or hear the frogs croak in a waterlogged drain
It was yearn for the wander that brought me far south
Of the streams of the dippers and the shy brown trout
Where to many mine used to be a well known face
Today i would seem a stranger in my first home place
There are millions of migrants in the World like me
Who only have memories of the what used to be
In memory we only can return to the past
And the clock on our lives ever ticking on fast
It has been thirty years though it only seems like yesterday
That i see the hawthorns in their white blooms of May.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Famous And Wealthy Celebrities

Many famous and wealthy celebrities and entertainers marry often and married for long few of them stay
And the lawyers of high profile divorce cases are getting wealthier by the day
A marriage vow to many of the wealthy and famous for to break is always quite okay
That some of their sort are lacking in honor and faithfulness is only true for to say
There was a time when marriage it was for life
Till death do them part between husband and wife
And even very few of the wealthy celebrities were known to divorce
But nowadays fewer marriages in all social classes are known to last the course
And out of divorce cases of the wealthy and famous lawyers stand most for to gain
For the reason for this one does not have to explain
Many celebrity marriages have been known to only last for a year
Of long term relationships between the wealthy minority one seldom does hear
Out of high profile divorce cases solicitors and barrister getting wealthier by the day
That some lack in honor and faithfulness it does seem this way.

A Case Of Unreqited Love

He will not be going for to start a new life elsewhere
In the bigger World out there
With his domineering wife he will stay
He is quite a loyal man of him one might say
In his early sixties life's better days he has seen
His oldest grandchild is fifteen
He remains true to his nagging wife
Though with her he has never known of an easy life
For loyalty there can be some price to pay
For him it has been this way
Though in on unrequited love there is love's ache pain
As her devoted husband he will remain
In a situation from where most men years ago would have walked away
Loyal to his one true love he does stay.

Monday, August 29, 2016

The Big Dark Brown Parrots

The big dark brown parrots yellow tailed black cockatoos
The birds that are known to some as the weerloos
I do hear and see them often though not every day
Their voices and appearance to their identity a give away
Among the largest members of the cockatoo family
The females lay one to two white eggs in hole high in trunk of tree
But only one of the young to adulthood survive
In Nature the weak have to die for the strong for to thrive
From once seen to recognize them again one ought not to fail
Big dark brown birds with yellow tips on their wings and yellow tips on their tail
As they fly in small flocks you hear them call out wee yu
Like most species of birds to their ways they are true
They live on grubs and the tiny dark seeds of hakea and pine
And they look very beautiful when seen in the sunshine.

The Best Years Of My Life

The best years of my life in the forever gone
And the clock on my life ever ticking on
I only wish to grow old as a better man
For what time i have left this is my only plan
For the making of a better World we all have a part to play
If you can help someone who needs your help in some way
Then you are making the World better to live in
The power to do good it does come from within
What we do to others to our own selves we do
This applies to everyone and everyone includes me and you
No good deed done is ever too small
The power to do good it is in us all
To receive in life we must learn how to give
And as a better person i only wish to live.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

John Kelleher Better Known As Jack The Mule

He worked for farmers and for town people shlauned peat for winter fuel
The mighty man John Kelleher better known as Jack The Mule
One of Duhallow's best workmen on his day
Though his working efforts seldom matched by pay

A tall broad shouldered man he was as strong as two
Without much effort the hardest work he could do
Yet to himself he was not a good friend
Most of his hard earned wages on alcohol he did spend

That he was not one to mess with was obviously quite clear
The mighty Jack he was a man to fear
He never once was beaten in a brawl
And he left many a big Duhallow bully feeling small

Not known to have children he never had a wife
A rugged man who led a rugged life
An outdoor fellow he often slept rough
On himself he was one who made life tough

On the first of March a cold and wintry day
The sunless sky was overcast and gray
On a field by Clara as Daithi Dowling and his son climbed on the higher ground
The lifeless body of a man they found

Some things in life are hard to understand
John Kelleher had died at his own hand
By Clara Mountain his life he choose to end
To himself he was never a good friend

He was not a bad man and of him one can say
That to help people he often went out of his way
To die of old age not in his destiny
One like him in Millstreet never more to see.

Though My Love For Her

Though my love for her only does grow and grow
So little of Nature's ways i can claim to know
Though of her i learn something new every day
That we never stop learning it does seem this way
In the fields of my boyhood many years ago
Going way back in time some fifty years or so
She filled me with the wonderment of a boy
And learning of her ways today i enjoy
Yet the more i learn of her the more i realize
That of her i know little this not a surprise
Her beauty one does not have to pay to see
It is all around you and it is all around me
She is the one true immortal and this not a lie
And we learn as we live till the day we do die.

Your Imaginary Hard Life

You may think you are one who does have it tough
But compared to many life for you seems easy enough
Millions of homeless people are sleeping rough tonight
Compared to them your future is looking quite bright
A nice home to live in and a job that pays well
Yet of your imagined hard life you only can tell
And so many people far worse off than you are
From where you live ten minutes by motor car
Your imaginary hard life is all in your mind
To self pity you are all too readily inclined
You are one who suffer of mind poverty
Our thoughts it is said become our reality
In your mind you are one who think you have it tough
But you have never been homeless and hungry or have had to sleep rough.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

You May Never Be One

You may never be one who will know of renown
Known and admired by many far from your hometown
Or any honor as such you never may win
But you can make the World better to live in
By being nice to others in word and in need
In your acts of love and kindness greatness you can achieve
Those who are willing to give can expect to receive
The wealthy and famous the masses celebrate
But without wealth and fame you can become great
And though you may be one of the many who live as a stranger to fame
And the impressionable masses may not know you by name
True greatness as is said is born within
Through your acts of kindness you can make the World better to live in.

You Get What You Pay For

Your cheap product may not have a long life stay
You get what you pay for as some like to say
If for the good product you cannot afford for to pay
You must settle for the cheap one it does seem this way
And you get what you pay for as ever is true
If you are short on money well pity on you
For money speaks every language as everyone know
And on trees and on bushes such stuff does not grow
If you do not have enough of money to go on a holiday
Then on your work leave at home you have to stay
By so many by your financial standing you are judged who you are
Without money in life you cannot expect to go far
The cheap product you buy in time may not last long
That you get what you pay for is surely not wrong.

Friday, August 26, 2016

A Hard Working Fellow

Though a new challenge in life every day he does face
In his mind for sadness there is not any space
With a wife and two young children for to care about
He cannot afford to spend time on worry and self doubt
With a family to support and a house mortgage to pay
He has to rise early for work every day
Though to be a hard worker is never a claim to renown
People like him a huge asset to every town
To the higher self he is one who is true
Though hard working people do never receive the credit they are due
In fact for them not that much respect at all
Their names never appear on a memorial wall
Though he lives honestly and works hard for his every pay
He will never be named the town man of the day.

A Long Time Ago

From the slated house by the bohreen
She left never more to be seen
Going back in time twenty five years or so
And this is a long time ago

A woman of great beauty to behold
Even nowadays she would not be that old
In her mid forties maybe
Though time does tick on ceaselessly

The pride of the old country town
Her shoulder length hair wavy and brown
Her eyes blue as the ripened sloe
Though time does become beauty's foe

She may be a grandmother today
And with brown hair dye cover her gray
Or as childless and single did she stay?
Only know she went to live far away

From the slated house by the bohreen
Where she was never more to be seen
Going back twenty five years or so
And this is a long time ago.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Compared To Some Dangerous Predators

Compared to some dangerous predators the most dangerous of all
Is not that physically powerful or to look at that tall
Known as homo sapiens or humans their more familiar name
We are known to murder our own kind and commit acts of shame
The predators are born to kill for to live
But they are innocent killers without sins to forgive
Some humans for their own kind no respect do pay
And humans are raped, robbed, maimed and murdered by their own kind every day
Some humans are known to be callous and cruel
And have the mentality of the born to rule
But many human beings to perform good deed well inclined
And are known to be caring and compassionate and kind
But for the crimes of the bad the good suffer every day
And this seems a very sad thing for to say.

For As Long As The Gift

For as long as the gift of memory you retain
The audio and visual memories with you will remain
Of life's good and bad days of for you what used to be
In this respect you are no different to me
The years go by quickly and time does tick on
And at the stroke of midnight today will be gone
And tomorrow a new day will dawn though not for everyone
And a mother will give birth to a baby daughter or son
Just live in the now is the best we can do
Tomorrow may not dawn for me or for you
The one who claims the lives of the very young and the old and those in their lives prime
For to claim the life of anyone can come at anytime
But for as long as the gift of memory you retain
The past you will visit again and again.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Nothing For To Celebrate

At The Rio Olympics closing ceremony of August twenty sixteen
The wealthy and famous of all Nations in party mood to be seen
But the homeless of Rio were not invited to attend
Such big parties are only for life's winners why otherwise pretend

Ego is gone viral in the Human World of today
At the Olympic Stadium in Rio it was on display
Fun and laughter music, song and dancing is always okay
But young people taking selfies to me seems ego gone astray

In a Human World of many poor people for every millionaire
The homeless of big Cities like Rio are no longer rare
Any poor person in Brazil was excluded from the Games due to high ticket price
On their Countries biggest ever sporting event nothing in it for them to rejoice

The closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio was a super show
Which gives the Government of a Country in economic depression some reason to crow
In the Olympic Stadium there was song, dance and music, fun and laughter and they partied till late
But the poor of Brazil have nothing for to celebrate.

For My Many Years

For my many years of living i have little to show
And so little about life i can claim to know
But we learn as we live as the wise one does say
And of life we do learn something new every day

A man from the home of the silver back crow
Of the fields where the rushes in clusters do grow
It was lust of the wander that brought me far south
Of the streams of the dipper and the wily brown trout

To the home of the wallaby and gray kangaroo
And the long billed corella and yellow tailed black cockatoo
And though her wonders are many and her secrets not few
Of Nature every day i do learn something new

Though knowledge like money does not grow on the flags of the street
We learn every day from the people we meet
And the more we do learn the more we realize
That we do know so little this not a surprise

We have been learning from life before we learned how to crawl
Though for one of my years i know little at all
And it is a fact we never stop learning and fact does not lie
For as long as we live until the day we do die.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

In Every Aspect Of Life

In every aspect of life most want to be of the winning team
Of wealth and fame and glory so many people dream
But in the end it will not matter since death treats everyone as the same
The wealthy and the famous and the one without a penny to his or to her name
To be content in my life is all i wish to be
Since the truth in live and let live it does appeal to me
For fame and wealth and glory Worldwide people compete
And everyday for many some new challenge to meet
I just wish to live and let live and of good karma plant the seed
And be willing to help others if of my help they are in need
The over-inflated ego on compassion does take toll
The lust for fame and glory is not healthy for the soul
I am not into the promotion of the i, myself and me
Just to live as a better person is all i wish to be.

Everyone Is A Good Winner

Everyone is a good winner but good losers are few
In this i am not saying anything that is new
The one who can smile in the face of defeat
Is the one who in spirit refuses to be beat
The winner may shed tears of joy in victory
That this is not a test of his or her character is how it seems to be
But the one who does have a happy smiling face
Though she or he did not finish in first place
One might say is a unique and good person indeed
And of more of this sort the Human World is in need
With the onlookers shouting hooray and well done
It is easy to smile and laugh when you have won
But the one who does smile in the face of defeat
Is the one who in spirit refuses to be beat.

Monday, August 22, 2016

When Young Innocence Is Lost

As a very young boy in Millstreet County Cork
I was told and believed that a baby was brought to the baby's mother by a stork
And most children what they are told do believe
Compared to adults they are not that hard to deceive
And innocence is such a beautiful thing
Though adulthood with it cynicism does bring
Knowledge and life experience does come at a cost
For we do lose something beautiful when innocence is lost
The loss of innocence becomes cynicism's gain
And only good memories of our very young years we retain
Of the innocence of a young girl or a young boy
Who believe that this old white bearded fellow named Santa brought them their Christmas toy
In life the memory of the beauty of young innocence we can only retain
Since we cannot physically or mentally return to childhood again.

The Moon Over Yangery

As a boobook owl calls in the calm of the night
The moon over Yangery a beautiful sight
And the birds who do sing on all Seasons of the year
The warbling of the magpies so pleasant to hear
The sounds of the night so uplifting in the pale moonlight
The masked lapwing call above his territory whilst in flight
The nocturnal sounds of the night creatures to listen to quite a beautiful thing
On an evening in late August less than two weeks from the Spring
A creature not often seen out by day
A shrill cry of the night a fox out hunting for prey
The lowing of cattle in a paddock nearby
Their voices re echo in the calm starry sky
The moon over Yangery a beautiful sight
On a calm and starry August winter's night.

Like The Happy Young Man

In his mind for sadness there is not any space
He always does have a big smile on his face
The lilt in his laughter makes for a happy sound
He carries joy with him and shares it around
People like he is quite a pleasure to know
For he surely is one who has the inner glow
Of happy people as some like to say
They do make a new friend or two every day
That laughter is the best of medicine as a truism remain
Why this be so is there need for one to explain
With the saying of laugh and the World laughs with you one has to agree
A happy person is always popular is how it seems to be
Like the happy young man with the big smile on his face
In his mind for sadness there is not any space.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Where The Blackwater Flow

In fancy i can hear a silver back crow
Cawing on a beech tree near where the Blackwater flow
In the afternoon sunshine of an August day
In green old Duhallow from here far away
Good memories as is said with everyone known to stay
Till the Reaper of lives on our lives has the say
Long before the first people to Duhallow came
The Blackwater the waterway without a name
Was babbling on it's way to the Atlantic shore
On a journey of sixty kilometers or more
The river that has inspired song, story and rhyme
As old as the Boggeragh Ranges so very old in time
On a tall beech tree the cawing of a gray crow
In green old Duhallow where the Blackwater Flow.

He Remembers With Much Sadness

He remembers with much sadness of a love that used to be
All he has left are a few photos and the mental memory
Of a woman of great beauty who could not become his wife
The divorced grandfather in his eighties who knows of the good and bad of life
His one true love she died at twenty when he was only twenty three
They had been engaged to marry but it was not meant to be
She was a victim of cancer twenty does seem young to die
But that life's reaper is not ageist in her case was not a lie
He remembers how he grieved for his lovely young rose of the town
Of blue eyes as blue as ripe sloes and shoulder length wavy hair of chestnut brown
But she died when Spring was blooming and new leaves were on the deciduous trees
It is true indeed that our fondest can be our saddest of memories
It is true time is a healer it can heal love's mental pain
But the memories of his great love till death with him will remain.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

To Any Form Of Love

Self love is a good thing in a moderate way
Of people with it the Human World is in need of more today
For their sort are known to be compassionate and kind
And to the helping of others are willingly inclined
But an over-inflated sense of self worth to any form of love does not belong
Though one could say of narcissism it is self love gone wrong
In the twenty first century promotion of self has become an in thing
And too many their own praises only too willing to sing
Narcissistic people live only for self till the day they do die
So much for the age of me, myself and i
The wise old grandmother said to her grandson
If you cannot love yourself you cannot love anyone
But of course she was not talking of narcissism which is self love gone wrong
Since to any form of love this does not belong.

Based On A Lie

I have never been in an army and trained to use a gun
Though i am one who does like to lay in the sun
And expose my body to supposedly deadly violet ray
Few sun lovers live to die old as some are known to say

My name for bravery will never be on any memorial wall
Though to me this does not matter the least bit at all
I just wish to live as contented make the most of every day
Life is what you make of it is only true to say

It is out of dead war heroes young war heroes are made
Their sense of patriotism inspired in every war street parade
For religion, borders and cultures young people go to war and die
The long gone war that was supposed to end all wars was based on a lie

In far too many people the us against they mentality does remain strong
To such a way of thinking i refuse to belong
Those who follow the thinking of live and let live do appeal more to me
Since they do far more for World harmony

Than the flag waving patriots and nationalists at the war street parade
Where of long dead war heroes young war heroes are made
It is partly because of their sort more people in acts of terrorism and wars do die
The long gone war that was supposed to end all wars was based on a lie.

Like All Other Olympics

Like all other Olympics of the bygone years
In the Olympics in Rio the joy and the tears
For those who do not win Olympic medals the disappointment is great
And as always the winners are those who celebrate
The medalists go home as heroes and heroines to their homeland
And the disappointment of the losers not hard to understand
The Olympic Games mirrors human life in every way
There are winners and losers in the World every day
On those not going home with medals it has to be tough
Despite their years of hard training they were not good enough
Though winning is what the majority of people would choose
For one for to win others do have to lose
Suppose this is how it is and it always will be
At least anyway this is how it seems to me.

Friday, August 19, 2016

The Former Pride Of Newmarket

From her first Hometown in Duhallow she is aging far away
The former Pride of Newmarket has known of a far better day
With light brown hair dye she does cover her gray
Pride comes before a fall as the wise one does say

At least four decades of years past her physical prime
Last year a grandmother for the seventh time
To her Australian husband she is a good wife
And their union it does seem will last for life

For her first Hometown of Newmarket she has shed her last tears
She has not been back there for at least thirty years
In her adopted City of Portland in Victoria she may live her last day
And far south of Duhallow her last remains will lay

The Seasons of life on her surely does tell
Though for her years she is one who looks quite well
Eventually time becomes everyone's foe
She was a rare beauty four decades ago.

On Saying I Cannot Like Everybody

On saying i cannot like everybody is something you would have heard others say before
But i am not one for harboring grudges or planning to settle a score
I only want to treat others people as i would wish them to treat me
Those who spend their time hating others do nothing for World harmony
It has to be a truism that in life one must give to receive
And everyone ought to warrant a fair go on live and let live i believe
You can make the World better to live in by becoming a far better you
And in me like in many plenty room for improvement does only happen to be true
Some people are kind and compassionate and some in their ways very small
And i have yet to meet one who is perfect a little of the selfish gene in us all
Those willing to treat others fairly and help those of helping in need
For future good karma for themselves they surely are planting the seed
You can become a better person by becoming the best you can be
And this applies to everybody and everybody does includes me.

The Tiny Frogs In The Night Singing

From listening to the voices of Nature some insights on weather we gain
The tiny frogs in the night singing are telling us that it will rain
They can detect the slightest air temperature changes Nature is an amazing thing
You do know that rain it is imminent when you hear the amphibians sing
Everyday we learn from Nature this is not saying anything that is new
Her wonders to say the least many and her secrets are not of the few
So little i do know about her though i learn from her every day
By the voices of her wild creatures for Nature she works in this way
The night is not windy or chilly and the songs of the frogs i do hear
They are telling of change in the weather that rain to us it is near
Her creatures are the voices of Nature something that i have come to realize
In life we do never stop learning and every day some new surprise
In the still night air the tiny frogs tell us of imminent rain in their song
Every day one learns from the creatures of Nature for Nature never gets it wrong.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

The Young O' Donovan Brothers

For Ireland and for west Cork and the gold and white and green
They wrapped themselves in glory those young men from Skibbereen
In Olympic lightweight rowing a silver medal they won
For brothers Gary and Paul O' Donovan this was a job well done

For a medal rank outsiders the favorite France pipped them for gold
The story of the O'Donovans in centuries from now will be told
Their post race videos quite hilarious have gone viral Worldwide
To the young Skibbereen rowing legends this showed the humorous side

The young O'Donovan brothers not yet in their lives prime
They may be Olympic Champions of lightweight rowing in Japan in four years time
Down to earth Olympic silver medalists for want of a better name
The witty O' Donovan brothers are enjoying their taste of fame

In Rio in the lightweight rowing Olympic final they rowed their way to silver and renown
And because of them Skibbereen in west Cork has become a Worldwide known town
Down to earth and witty such joy to competitive sports they do bring
Fans of rowing around the World the praises of the O'Donovans do sing.

Out There By The Brown Hills

Out there by the brown hills from here far away
In a place that industrialization has passed by in truth one can say
Beneath the weeds and grass under earth and stones
Of some of Australia's first people lay the hidden bones

In the home of the wallaby, echidna and kangaroo
And the white long billed corella and the dark brown weerloo
In a place they did love their undiscovered graves lay
Without monument or memorial stone to honor their existence today

Where they hunted made love and raised their families
And in the warmth of the Summer had their corroborees
Their stories unwritten in book for for to sell
Seems a pity since of their lives they would have had great stories to tell

Of the places they loved and lived in many centuries ago
That today their spirits exist may even be so
By the old brown hills where the weeds and grass grow
In the home of the boobook owl and pale eyed crow

From the smoke and traffic noise of the big industrial town
By the far away hills that do look ever brown
Under the earth and stones from sight hidden away
The bones of Australia's first people do lay.

We All Cannot Be Winners

Some will tell you that you can be a winner if winning you choose
But for you for to win someone else has to lose
There are more losers than winners in the World every day
This is how life is and it works in this way
Many dream of greatness but few become great
And only the winners the masses celebrate
Millions every day in the World for success do compete
And always some new challenge in life for to meet
But of the winner most people of wish to know
And disappointment in the face of the loser does show
But that with time takes care of the greatest none could disagree
You only can live to be the best you can be
We all cannot be winners life works in this way
There are more losers than winners in the World every day.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

The Longest Lived Human Life

The longest lived human life in time not a long span
On average three score and ten years a few more years for a woman than it is for a man
There is fact in the saying and fact does not lie
That the longer you live the sooner you will die
Money cannot buy the life's reaper as the wise one does say
And for all of us there is this last night and day
Death does make as equal the pauper and billionaire
A common fate eventually everyone does share
Whatever you achieve in life money or fame
As the poor of the World you will end as the same
The clock on our lives ever ticks on and on
At the stroke of midnight today will be gone
We only can live to be the best we can be
And this includes everyone as well as you and me.

Calum

Calum will never be a World champion or will win Olympic gold
And the story of his life may never be told
But aged widowed pensioner Mrs Kirler his neighbor says his very equal one could not hope to find
She has never known of anyone as compassionate and kind
As twenty two years old Calum who helps her when of helping she is in need
She says people like him are quite rare indeed
He knows she is poor so he never asks her for pay
Calum sows the seeds of good karma every day
He is not into sports has never played with the town football club
And he does not drink alcohol or go to the local pub
Yet he is quite a selfless person of him one can say
And to help people he is one who goes out of his way
His frail aged widowed pensioner neighbor Mrs Kirler says he is great
Though he is one the masses will never celebrate.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Mick Sugrue

In the nineteen fifties in Duhallow when times were quite hard
On his bicycle door to door salesman Mick Sugrue used to sell meat by the yard
To the woman who complained to him his meat had too many bones
His reply was expect this when you buy meat when you buy earth you buy stones

An aging tall slightly built fellow always wearing a hat
He used to say on door to door meat sales one never does grow fat
A witty old fellow with words he had a way
Of great characters like he was there are not many today

People like he was deserve to be remembered in story and song
With meat sacks on his handlebars and carrier he pedaled along
On a hard way to earn a living in times That were tough
But the genial Mick with persuasive sales skills to the task good enough

A marvelous old character with a great turn of phrase
There are not many like he was in Duhallow nowadays
One of the most memorable of people i knew as a boy
Good memories do live on as a source of joy

Of the witty door to door meat salesman quite quick on the tongue
In the place that i lived in when i was young
From one of Duhallow's most memorable characters Mick Sugrue the gift of life may be long gone
But good memories of the man he was does live on.

Of Late For You Life

Of late for you life to say the least bad
But few wish to know of you when you look sad
Those who look happy make friends easily
This is how it is and how it will always be
It is hard for to smile when you have had a bad day
But life is what you make of it as some like to say
Those who can smile though hard times of they do know
Are those who are blessed with the inner glow
The happy person of everyone wishes to know
And their friends in numbers only seem to grow
Everyday in life a challenge to face
But if you cannot smile and accept your life's lot in grace
You will not spread joy in your side of the town
As on the sidewalk you do walk up and down.

Suppose It Is Each To Their Own

We all have our hobbies it does seem this way
My hobby is rhyming i write rhymes every day
But never for fame or for monetary pay
It is just that with rhyme words i do love for to play
When i say rhymers like me are many and poets are few
I am not saying what anyone would say is new
Were i interested in making money i would not be writing rhyme
As such is not a money making scheme of our time
And though my worth as a rhymer i have reason to doubt
No shortage of things for me for to write rhymes about
A minority of writers of any genre held in high literary esteem
But most people have their hobbies or so it does seem
As for me i love rhyming i write rhymes every day
Suppose it is each to their own as some are known to say.

Monday, August 15, 2016

One Of The Town's Best Workmen

From worker to fore person he worked his way
One of the town's best employees was buried today
One who did work hard for his every take home pay
But that this does not matter now is only true to say
In his early seventies divorced from his wife
One who never did know of the easy life
At his graveside his son and his grandchildren for him in tears
Though on his own he had lived his twilight years
One of the most honest and hardest workers of the town
Yet such good traits never brings to one renown
To his higher self in life he remained true
Though people like he was never receive the credit they are due
Six years ago he retired as a fore person one who earned his every pay
One of the town's best workmen was buried today.

Though We All Become Equal

Poverty does come at varying degrees
In a World of millions of homeless people and refugees
The gap between the wealthy and poor ever keeps growing wide
And millions losing out in the social divide
Those who talk of human equality believe their own lie
Though we all become equal on the day we do die
In life for one to win big others do have to lose
Though losing is a thing anyone does not choose
In life every day people with each other for success do compete
And always some new challenge for one for to meet
Every loser like the knocked out boxer is counted out
It is only winners we ever read of or hear about
Those who believe in equality believe in a lie
Though we all become equal on the day we do die.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Does The Soul Live On

Does the soul live on when the body does die
If i told you i knew i would be telling a lie
Though many believe post bodily death the souls of the good have wings for to fly
To the kingdom of their god way beyond the sky
But since to a god in the sky i am not one who believe in to pray
In their thinking if they are wrong or right it is not for me to say
Though with the freedom of belief i am one who agree
And each to their own is how it is with me
Such horrible crimes by religious fundamentalists every day we hear of and read
And you need not be a religious person a good life for to lead
Non religious people who nurture their god of the mind
Known to live good lives and are compassionate and kind
Only know like all others i am destined for to die
This is a fact of life and fact never lie.

So Many Nice People

So many nice people i meet every day
So helpful and kind in their own way
And though the crimes of some people a reason to feel sad
Far more very good people in the World than bad
So many good people there can be little doubt
Yet only a minority we read of and hear about
Every day in the news we hear of crimes of shame
By people who do their best to destroy humanity's good name
There are kind and good people in every race and creed
But of many more of their sort the human World is in need
Every day when out of doors in the park or the street
Nice people i am always privileged to meet
Though of more of their sort humanity is in need
In the World there are many good people indeed.

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Rita Hickey

The last teacher link to Millstreet's first secondary college Colaiste Padraig from life has passed away
Which brings back old memories of a long bygone day
With her late husband Garrett and Joe Garvey and Miss McAuliffe she taught in the West End for many years
And her passing in Millstreet will not go without tears

A good mother to her children and to Garrett a good wife
Like many she knew of the good and sad days of life
Predeceased by two of her children she had her crosses to bear
Of sorrows she was one who knew of her share

Rita Hickey nee Kelly her associations with Millstreet goes back decades in time
She was in her nineties years past her life's prime
Though she died in Fermoy in Duhallow she was widely known
And in Millstreet many will mourn the passing of one of their own

Colaiste Padraig in the West End of Millstreet closed down years ago
Going way back in time half a century or so
The changes keep happening and time ticks on fast
And only the memories remain of the past

In St Mary's Cemetery by Cashman's Hill in Millstreet her last remains lay
For all of us there is this last night and day
Hope her passing from life for her was a painless release
Rita Hickey nee Kelly may she now rest in peace.

Bob Dylan The Poet

Bob Dylan the poet and the legend of song
Well into his seventies he is still going strong
In the nineteen sixties he was in his life's prime
And this is going back many decades in time
His anti war songs remain as relevant today
And his legend will long outlive him in truth one can say
Bob Dylan has millions of fans Worldwide
In people on the wrong side of the social divide
Fans who are loyal to him old, middle aged and young
At every war protest his anti war songs are sung
In a Human World where billions are struggling to cope
The songs of Bob Dylan give to many people hope
Of a better World for to live in
Where there will not be any wars for to win.

Friday, August 12, 2016

Michael Kelleher Will Go Home To Millstreet Again

A strong love of Claraghatlea he does retain
Michael Kelleher will go home to Millstreet again
And walk in the field that he loved as a boy
Old memories remain to him as a source of joy

And in Millstreet town meet some good friends of the past
It is said that old friendships a lifetime does last
In Millstreet and Millstreet Town where he is well liked and well known
They will be happy to welcome back one of their own

The Millstreet he was raised in is a changed place today
Some he went to school with among the deceased does lay
And some from the old town aging far away
Time does not wait for anyone as the wise one does say

In the green countryside by the Town of Millstreet
He will walk the old fields where the waterways meet
And by the river Finnow in Matty Owens bog
Where as a young boy he hunted with his black and white dog

Though time that rusts iron is becoming his foe
Michael Kelleher will return to where he left years ago
But not to grow old only for a brief stay
In where he first looked on the bright lamp of day.

I Have Met

I have met and worked with many races in many a town
And in word or deed never put anyone down
And those who treat me as an equal i treat as likewise
Since insult as is said to offense does give rise

I never do call anyone out of name
And all creeds and races i treat as the same
Life is a journey as some like to say
A maze like road where some do lose their way

The great gift of life does come to us by chance
Though some are advantaged by birth circumstance
Death comes to the poorest and the billionaire
The reaper of lives any life does not spare

In a Human World where billions for this thing known as success do compete
Everyday some new challenge in life for to meet
But the wealthy and great like the poorest of all
To the scythe of life's reaper eventually does fall

You only can live to be the best you can be
At least anyhow this is how it seems to me
On how long we live we do not have a say
And for all of us there is a last night and day.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

What If Are Words

What if are words you hear some people say
Of hopes that they had that for them did not turn out that way
The regrets of what might have been the decades do span
For many a woman and many a man
Though you may feel that success in life is your due
Not all things you hope for yourself will come true
And what if are the words that come into play
When for you it has been a very bad day
Of life you have many sad stories to tell
And nothing is perfect and all is not always well
The baby to walk has to learn to crawl
And on life's journey our hopes often do take a fall
And what if are words that often come into play
When what we had hoped for did not turn out that way.

A Nice Winter Day

Above the coastal paddocks on this sunny August day
A freshening breeze blowing up from Gormans Bay
For the Moyne Shire a pleasant Winter day of a weather temperature high of sixteen
And the countryside looking quite healthy and green
The songs of the blackbirds and magpies so pleasant to hear
On this beautiful day for the time of year
Twenty four nights and days till the first of the calendar Spring
And the nesting birds already whistle and sing
Under the blue sunny sky with just a few clouds of gray
The contented cattle chewing their cuds do lay
The countryside so green after recent rain
With such pleasant weather how can one complain
In August three weeks and three days from the calendar Spring
The nest building songbirds do whistle and sing.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

I Used To Think I Would

I used to think i would grow old and die in Millstreet
In the green countryside where the waterways meet
In the fields of the badger the rook and the silver back crow
Where the evergreen rushes in clusters do grow

But the lust of the wander did lure me away
From the place where i first looked on the lamp of day
And only in memory nowadays i do see
The faces and places once familiar to me

In Claraghatlea where i used to live when my hair was dark brown
By the road to Rathmore just west of Millstreet Town
My three decades of absence from there would have made a stranger of me
Of the past we only have memories is how it seems to be

Some i knew in Millstreet in the cemetery lay
And others from the old town growing old far away
From the Duhallow town in view of high Claramore
In distance quite far from Hibernia's shore

Though the weather for much of the year wet and bordering cold
I used to think in Millstreet that i would grow old
Till the yearn for travel lured me to places elsewhere
For to experience life in the big World out there.

To Their Higher Selves

Cattle eat grain, grass and silage and hay
And humans like me eat the meat of their kind every day
For us for to live animals, birds and fish have to die
To say most of us are not carnivore would be telling a lie
To feed the rising human population millions of other life forms are killed every day
They are raised in crowded enclosures and treated in a cruel way
As a fish and meat eater i too cannot deny
That in an indirect way human crimes against other life forms to me does apply
Why us humans at the top of the Worldwide food chain
Can be so cruel to innocent creatures beyond one to explain
Of cruelty to caged fowl and pigs raised in crates we so often hear of and read
It is not by good example us humans does lead
To human vegetarians respect is due
To their higher selves they try to remain as true.

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

I Have Seen

I have seen the Blackwater flood the fields of Duhallow
In the green countryside between Sliabh Luachra and Mallow
But writing of sights common to many is not a good story
And is hardly a ticket to literary glory

I have lived in New York quite a busy old City
Where for those who are poor there is never much pity
In every big city of homeless people to say the least many
Of poverty free big towns i have not known of any

I have been in London where i felt a stranger
Though there i never sensed my life was in any sort of danger
These noisy big cities of all different races
For those who live in them not the nicest of places

Far south of the hills of the bracken and heather
I worked on high tree clearing towers and Melbourne building sites in all sorts of weather
And in pipeline crews in Victoria a hard way to earn a living
Suppose life is made of receiving and giving

I have been to the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide and Tokyo in Japan
But this does not make me a well traveled man
And in the potato fields of south Wales in May when the blackbirds were singing
The bells of St Davids i often heard ringing

I have seen some of New Zealand a Land that is amazing
For it's marvelous scenery a Country worthy of praising
Yet of great stories for to tell i do not have any
As i have not seen much of the World when compared to many.

You Too Have It In You

Though your life story in book form may never be told
And you may never compete for an Olympic Gold
But some who are great never will know of fame
The impressionable masses out there do not know them by name
But what is seen to be great honor for self and Country you never may win
You can help to make the World better to live in
By sowing the good seeds of karma every day
And in the helping of anyone in need of your help go out of your way
You do not have to be president or monarch or pope
Since you too have it in your for to give others hope
By in your words or deeds never drag anyone down
And treat all with respect and kindness on your side of the town
And though you may not be one the masses celebrate
You too do have it in you for to be great.

Monday, August 8, 2016

The Best I Can Be

Not one who is worthy of literary note
Though i used to daydream that i might be a poet
But going back the years that now seems long ago
And time that rusts iron has since become my foe

It was my love of rhyme made a rhymer of me
And a rhymer at best is the best i can be
Just something i love doing and little else more
And something you may have heard me say before

Anybody can write rhymes as most would agree
Shower rhymes with flower and bee rhymes with tree
New rhymes with few and knee rhymes with see
To write rhymes you do not need a literary degree

Far north of this countryside by Warrnambool
I did have the title as dunce of the school
This hardly is something to recall with pride
In the twilight of my existence with time not on my side

Addicted to rhyming of me one can say
With rhyme words i am one who does love to play
For many years i have been a rhyming buff
One of those who has written a whole heap of stuff.

The Old Wannon River

In the Southern Grampians by night and by day
The brown Wannon waters slowly wind their way
In the home of the gray roo, long billed corella and dark pale eyed crow
The ageless old waterway babbles on slow
The age of the Wannon none does seem to know
Long before the age of the dinosaurs towards the sea it did flow
The river that inspired song, story and rhyme
Has flowed to the sea through the centuries of time
Long before the first human being looked on the light of day
The rivers were flowing to the sea far away
In the warmth of the Summer in the shade of the trees
Australia's first people had their corroborees
Since then many Seasons have come and have gone
But the old Wannon River towards the ocean flows on.

Sunday, August 7, 2016

The Picture Millstreet Fellow

Of The Picture Millstreet Fellow so many people know
His myriads of online images in numbers grow and grow
In the Cyber World we live in where change does happen fast
He brings to Duhallow migrants familiar faces of the past

Far from the Town in view of Clara in his home countryside
The images taken by Sean Radley have traveled far and wide
Images of landscapes and people that brings back many a good memory
In online memories of the Boggeraghs and of the what used to be

North Cork and east Kerry migrants to Sean a depth of gratitude does owe
For his online articles and images of the long ago
On behalf of many migrants to him i would like to say
Thank you Sean sincerely for keeping us in touch with the far away

Online articles and images of the old Town by the hill
In a World that's ever changing in memory does stand still
A blessing of the cyber World is it keeps the past alive
And every town needs a Sean Radley for the what used to be to survive

The Picture Millstreet Fellow his camera is clicking on
His images will be for future generations when the life from him has gone
A man of great cultural value far more than he himself does realize
That he is loved by so many is not any surprise.

We All Have Our Dreams

We all have our dreams in life for to pursue
But for most people their dreams do never come true
Life's journey ahead of you not for you to see
And you only can live to be the best you can be
Treat others as you would like them to treat you
This is doing the best in life that you can do
They are quite good people one has to believe
That to live a good life you must learn to give to receive
Life was not meant to be easy according to George Bernard Shaw
And birth circumstance can be like the luck of the draw
The unlucky millions born into poor circumstance
Of succeeding in life does stand little chance
How you live your life it is all up to you
But what you do to others to yourself you do.

Saturday, August 6, 2016

On Wild Rabbits

That wild rabbits are nature's survivors there can be no denying
As a boy in Ireland in the nineteen fifties i see thousands of them dying
of human introduced myxomatosis a painful and fatal disease
That spreads from rabbit to rabbit in disease carrying fleas
Myxomatosis was introduced to wild rabbits in Countries Worldwide
But no matter how hard human beings tried
For to make them extinct the rabbits did survive
Due to their breeding habits and their sexual drive
And despite the introduction of clavixal virus and poisoning rabbits as a species refuse to die
To human power to exterminate they have given the lie.

Though Many With This

What goes around comes around as some do say
In other words for one's sins against others to karma we must pay
If wrong things to others you choose to do
Those wrongs will return one day to haunt you
The karma we sow in life is the karma we receive
On such a philosophy i am one who believe
A fair go to anyone none ought to deny
And live and let live to all ought to apply
What goes around comes around in life remains ever true
The fruits of the seeds of the karma we sow eventually becomes our due
The pathways of life can be ours for to choose
If because of your greed for wealth others have to lose
What goes around comes around is how it seems to me
Though many with this may well disagree.

Friday, August 5, 2016

It Was Such A Sad Thing

It was such a sad thing to see the old man in tears
At the death of the woman he had loved for years
The mother of his children the great love of his life
For fifty five years his devoted wife
An octogenarian she was eighty three
When two weeks ago of a massive heart attack she died suddenly
Death came without warning she had not been unwell
How much he does miss her words could never tell
A sad poor old fellow bald headed and gray
He wept as he sat on the park bench today
Tears at the loss of his dearest friend
The life journey for her had come to an end
I passed by him in his grief as i went on my way
For to comfort him i did not have words to say.

Joan McSweeney

In her prime years among Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra beauties she was one to the fore
Joan Twomey of Rathduane between Millstreet and Rathmore
As Mrs McSweeney in Killarney she raised her family
But to live to a very old age for her was not meant to be
Perhaps in her early to mid sixties nowadays this is not old
I remember her as dark brown haired, young and lovely to behold
One of those nice people who was free of conceit
Friendly in her ways and a pleasure to meet
She surely was a credit to her mum and her dad
And to learn of her passing from life is to say the least sad
Rathduane's loss in her became Killarney's gain
And in her family, relatives and friends good memories of her will remain
In St Mary's cemetery in Millstreet her last remains lay
From her first home in Rathduane in kilometers not far away.

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Politicians

Politicians make friends and politicians make foes
This is part of their lifestyle one has to suppose
Even members of the same political party do not always see eye to eye
For this the desire for power one of the main reasons why
That some politicians among some of their own kind cannot seem to agree
Political ambitions often give rise to party rivalry
Some refer to them as the honorable members but in truth one can say
That most of them lack in honor it does seem this way
Politicians their own and their party's praises only do sing
And in parliament name calling between the government and opposition members is the in thing
To lie to some politicians seem to come naturally
For most success in politics does not come with honesty
Politicians as a whole not trustworthy is how it seems to be
To most of them to lie does come easily.

The Changes Keep Happening In Millstreet

In Millstreet County Cork the changes keep happening as i have been told
That it is not the Millstreet of the days of old
A new generation the years come and go
And time as is often said becomes everyone's foe

But old Clara Mountain as ever looks down
On the fields and the houses of Duhallow's Millstreet Town
And the River Finnow towards the Blackwater flow
In the fields where the rushes in clusters do grow

The countryside looks the same but facts never lie
That people grow older and eventually die
In the Millstreet of today mine to many would be a stranger's face
And where i once was well known i might seem out of place

Far north of this countryside by Warrnambool
I first saw light of day and went to primary school
My best physical years of life i spend in Millstreet
In the green countryside where the waterways meet

Of a place to my thoughts that remain ever dear
The changes keep happening in Millstreet i hear
But changes occurring almost everywhere
In towns and villages and cities in the big World out there.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Why Worry About The Making Of Lots Of Money

Why worry about the making of lots of money the thing that gives rise to fame
When the reaper of lives treats the lives of the paupers and the billionaires as the same
You may be the town's wealthiest person but some evening, night, morning or day
The one who is known to claim all lives will surely come reaping your way
The one who cannot be bought with money is the one everybody does fear
That life's reaper is the great equalizer to everyone is obviously clear
You may feel that you are irreplaceable but as the wise person did say
A lot of people who felt this way are now where the deceased does lay
That money does speak every language a truthful saying one must suppose
But the common weed of the garden does have the same fate as the rose
No man or woman lives forever we all becomes victims of time
You may say he or she does look young but we quickly age past our lives prime
You may wish that you had more money but it is a fact the known billionaire
With the poorest person in the suburb a common fate is destined to share.

He May Not Be There

He may not be there when the deciduous trees sprout new leaves of green
And the bluebells are in bloom on the ditch of the bohreen
And the robin on song on a silver birch tree
Many Springs have gone by since the home fields he last see
He works to support his young son and daughter and their mother his wife
And he does feel quite content in his way of life
Yet he often visualizes the fields far away
When the hawthorns are in their white blooms of the May
And the old country town near to his first home place
Where a decade ago to many his was a known face
Where he feels he might feel a stranger today
Time brings about changes as the wise one does say
He may not be there when the fields lush and green in their nature's flowers
Will look quite resplendent after mild Spring showers.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

At A Time When

At a time when natural beauty than usual more rare
The wattles their clusters of yellow flowers wear
But at all times in Nature some beauty to see
And a pride of the Winter a flowering wattle tree

On this sunny July day a male blackbird does sing
His voice many do associate with Spring
With his silent wife he is building a nest
And to defend his borders his song serves him best

Though the workings of Nature beyond me to understand
I see beauty in Winter in this southern Land
The flute of the magpie can be heard day and night
How pleasant to hear him singing in the moonlight

So little of Nature's ways i can claim to know
But my wonderment of her it only does grow
Of her i do learn something new every day
We never stop learning it does seem this way

Not one rain cloud to be seen in the blue and gray sky
And the sun out and shining on this last day of July
The dawning of August will take us one day more near
To September the birth of the Spring of the year.

It Lives In My Head

It lives in my head as an unforgettable song
Wherever i go to my past with me comes along
And like most other migrants old memories in me does last
The gift of memory keeps us linked to the past
In my visualizations i often see Finnow River in flood waters of brown
Flowing bank high in the old fields close to Millstreet Town
And the croaking of breeding frogs in the waterlogged drain
And old Clara half cloaked in the gray fogs of rain
Beautiful memories of what was for me are with me today
Of the fields lush and green in their wildflowers of May
Though no Country in the world in that i would rather be
Than in this Southern Land which is now home to me.

Monday, August 1, 2016

The Fans Of The Premiers

The fans of the football club have won the right to brag
Of their team who have won the premiership flag
Till closing time in the pub they do sing the club song
To the winners the joy of victory does belong
Among the losing fans the silence almost profound
The sadness at their team's loss in beer they try to drown
But only time itself will take their pain away
Of ending up losers on grand final day
But is life that much different to a game of football
Of the joy and laughter the winners take all
And though losing is a thing anyone does not choose
For some for to win others do have to lose
The fans of the football premiers tonight celebrate
And in the pub they will party on till late.

Sadly The Humble

Many will tell you that the humble in life never get to anywhere
That they never become the successful of the big World out there
In this age of self promotion to publicize your latest achievement is a natural thing
And so many their own praises quite willing to sing
The elitist and narcissistic are not rare today
And that the humble are becoming rarer it does seem this way
So many nowadays with inflated sense of self esteem
The look at me syndrome gone viral it does seem
Many of those born into poverty their lifetime to live as poor destined to stay
And that the arrogant and self conceited are ruling the World does seem sad to say
Everyday the ambitious and arrogant not lacking in self conceit
For recognition and success with each other compete
And in a World where many look up to every known millionaire
Sadly the humble are becoming rare.