You Do Not Have The Right

You do not have the right to be judgemental and to verbally put others down
In so doing you will not win yourself respect and become the best loved one in the town
Judge not and thou shalt not be judged it is so true and to everyone it does apply
If you do choose for to judge others by your own judgements you too must live by
Though you are quite a judgemental person on that you are not alone
Casting of aspersions on others is something most people do not condone
A fair go to every individual no matter what creed or what race
Prejudice does not have a color and in the Human World does not have a place
It is easy to pass judgement on others as easy as the word can be
The judgemental lacking in the great gifts of compassion and empathy
Such people in their ways are ignorant and ignorance as is said is bliss
Judge not and thou shalt not be judged the point of it they seem to miss
By thinking you have the right to be judgemental in your ways you must be so small
Three cheers for the spirit of equality and three cheers for a fair go for all.

The Beautiful Place

Long after mine has been a forgotten face
Life will go on in this beautiful place
The birds will chirp and sing on the bushes and trees
Their pleasant notes carrying in the freshening breeze
That blow through the park as the sun is going down
Above the brown hill towards the west of the town
were i born a poet a poem i would write
For the lovers of Nature for to read and recite
Of the beautiful place lush and green after rain
Memories of such beauty that one does re-visit again
Many decades from now on a pleasant evening in Spring
In this beautiful place the birds will chirp and sing
In the freshening breeze as the sun is going down
Above the brown hill towards the west of the town.

Pat Mullane

In Millstreet he was born and his last remains now lay
From the Priests Cross where he used to live just a short walk away
Pat Mullane a nice quiet person and it does seem fair to say
That he will be sadly missed in Millstreet where he first saw light of day
In the flesh in the Town of Millstreet he will not be seen again
But in the thoughts of those who knew him fond memories of him will remain
Hope he did not have to suffer and that he died in peace
Sad to say that death for many from life a painful release
Pat Mullane is gone from Millstreet where he spent most of his long life
Never more to be seen at Priests Cross where he lived with his wife
He must have been close to eighty of life he had a long span
One who worked hard and lived honest and he was a gentleman
He will be sadly missed by many from the streets of Millstreet Town
Where often on summer's evening he used to walk up and down.

Away From The Town

Away from the town in the wood by the hill
Where grey shrike thrush the one with the musical bill
Is whistling to fanfare the birth of the day
To describe such beauty words i do not have for to say
The creek through the scrub with a babble does flow
In places quite fast and in places quite slow
On it's way to the river that flows to the sea
The voices of Nature amazing to me
Away from the town and the loud traffic noise
Where the whip cracking like call of the whipbird can be heard at sunrise
In the home of echidna and wallaby and roo
And the big dark brown parrot known as the weerloo
In the garden of Nature where peace does abound
And beauty is ever present and everywhere around.

The Memories Of What Was

The memories of what was with me does remain
When in fancy i visit my young years again
The joy of recognition when old friends i do meet
Many miles north of here in the Town of Millstreet
Familiar faces in the flesh i may never more see
But mental pictures of them are still living in me
The past in reality to the forever gone
But the memories of what was in me does live on
Though some of them now with the deceased does lay
In mental pictures the people of my young years have not aged a day
I feel enslaved by memories of what was of that i won't lie
Memories that will live in me till the day i do die
People in my mind who have not aged in memory young they remain
And in my flights of fancy i meet them again.

My Wonder Of Nature

My wonder of Nature in time seems to grow
But so little about her i can claim to know
Though of her i learn something new every day
We never stop learning as some like to say
I have loved our Earth Mother since i was a boy
And learning of her ways i still do enjoy
And though to Nature's great students i do not belong
Some birds i recognize by their chirp or their song
Her secrets are many and her wonders not few
Though every day of her we learn something new
All of her life forms including us humans are mortals since facts never lie
She is the one true immortal she will never die
The cycle of life in Nature will continues and life will go on
 Long after i am forgotten and to the forever gone.

The Weather Is Warm

The weather is warm near thirty degrees
And so very humid without any breeze
The sun it is hidden in clouds of darker gray
It does look like rain cannot be far away

A bird i do often hear and often see
In the town park i hear the song of the pee wee
He and his mate build a cup shaped mud nest on low branch of tree
Black and white birds familiar to many and familiar to me

On late November in late Spring with Summer quite near
The weather changes quickly at this time of year
With thundery rain in the forecast in a changeable Spring
Nature's beauty with it rain always does bring

A warm humid day in late November the sun does seem shy
It is hidden behind the gray clouds of the sky
It does seem quite likely that rain is on the way
But overall it does seem it is a nice day.

To Live Poor And Homeless

To live poor and homeless is not what one would choose
But in life 'tis hard for to win and 'tis easy to lose
Many for a successful life never have a fair chance
Due mainly to what is known as birth circumstance
He or she one of the children of the lesser gods
As a homeless teenager is battling the odds
Born to dysfunctional parents mentally feeling down
Without work and penniless on the poor side of the town
In a world where millions of people live in dire poverty
That one can choose what they wish to be does not seem right to me
In the refugee camps millions of refugees
The victims of wars and famines with immune systems weakened from disease
You can be what you wish to be to me does not sound right
For millions of people life is an uphill fight.

From Colac To Warrnambool

In Spring a green countryside in Summer mostly brown
As you drive out of Colac on towards Camperdown
A flat open landscape though not lacking in trees
Where birds and animals can shelter from the sun, rain and breeze
Lots of sheep, horses, dairy and beef cattle for to see
On the highway to Warrnambool to the Pacific sea
In Summer mostly brown and in Spring mostly green
Between Colac and Warrnambool few houses to be seen
Though not lacking in beauty it does seem remote
I would write a poem of it were i born a poet
A countryside that has inspired many a story and rhyme
That would have changed much since the long gone Dreamtime
Where the first Australians lived and hunted and had their corroborees
On the warm Summer days in the shade of the trees.

Why Call Them The Honorable

Referred to by some as the honorable but still just the same
Not many honorable amongst them that one might name
In parliamentary sitting every day
Towards each other they behave in the most disrespectful way
Shouting at each other and name calling as they disagree
Their behavior  seems ordinary even to one like me
By the rude things in parliament to each other they do say
They abuse their parliamentary privileges in quite a bad way
Verbally for political advantage in parliament they behave aggressively
Instead of the honorable they should be called the ordinary
Their conduct in parliament far from exemplary it does seem sad to say
Children for such behavior are suspended from school every day
Why some call them the ordinary one must wonder why
When such a word to them should never apply.

Those Who Can Lose With Grace

The one who can smile in the face of defeat
Amongst the most honorable can take a seat
And congratulate the winner with a hug and well done
To smile though disappointed it does take a brave one
The winner has won the right for to feel proud
And the winner in victory can laugh aloud
But it takes a noble person for to lose with grace
And accept defeat with a happy smiling face
The praises of the winner the audience may sing
But those who can lose with grace honor on themselves bring
And the ungracious loser is a loser indeed
Such an attitude with the winning of respect does never succeed
For one to win another must lose since life is this way
But the one who can smile in defeat will be a winner one day.

A Young Man From Warrnambool

He hails from from the place where the Hopkins crawls slow
As near to the ocean it does silently flow
Where he first saw light of day and where he went to school
The young man from the old City of Warrnambool

From his first home City he now lives far away
In Northern New South Wales in the Town of Byron Bay
With a young wife a son of five and a daughter of three
Like all he follows the ways of his life's destiny

In Warrnambool where he first saw light of day
He was one who was not destined for to stay
He met and fell in love with a Byron Bay beauty and with her settled down
And he is happy to live in the sub tropical Town

His mum and dad and only sibling his younger sister live in Warrnambool
Where the weather at most times is windy and cool
South of Byron Bay at least eighteen hours by car
To most people in distance such a journey seems far.

Amazing Nature

Suppose i'm not one who was born for to lead
I just pen simple rhymes that are easy to read
For decades of years i've been a rhyming buff
And i am one of those who has penned heaps of stuff
Perhaps without me the wordsmith trade could do without
But always so much for me to rhyme about
A beautiful spring evening the blackbird on song
The birds and their music to Nature belong
'Tis hard to feel sad on a day like today
She is amazing Nature is all i can say
To rhyme me she never has failed to inspire
And of singing her praises i never could tire
In the blue sunny sky just a few clouds of gray
'Tis good to be living on such a nice day

Not For Me To Say

Since you cannot change the course of your life's destiny
Why worry about it what will be will be
You could die young in an accident or of old age at one hundred and three
Only know that death is for certain for you and for me

You ask me of the existence  of an afterlife of a heaven and hell
On such a subject i'd prefer not to dwell
As to your question i do not know the answer on that i won't lie
I only know that i am destined to die

Since of the life i now live is all i know about
Of the existence of a life after death i feel reason to doubt
If God does exist it is not out there but in the individual mind
As i do know some atheists who are compassionate and kind

The answer to your questions not for me to say
Only for us all there's a last night and day
I am one who hopes for to live for as long as i can
And to die without pain as a very old man.

The Great William O Leary

A legend for his County of Cork and his home Club of Millstreet in Gaelic Football
Of his scoring feats far too many to recall
He once scored two goals against Kerry in a Munster Final in Killarney in a stunning display
In a beaten Cork team he was man of the day

Though for that we must go back many decades in time
William O Leary was one of Ireland's best forwards in his glorious prime
As a boy i watched him in Coachford in a Cork County senior Championship game against Lees
Kick some amazing points into a very strong breeze

When the Finnowsiders looked beaten he refused to give in
That day the Millstreet hero in their great comeback win
A dashing young forward in his glorious prime
Memories of him remain through the decades of time

Though still very much amongst the living time has become his foe
Not the man he was some five decades ago
When i was a schoolboy he was at his best
One never found to be wanting when put to the test

A marvellous Gaelic Footballer when he was a young man
William O Leary younger brother of Millstreet stalwart defender Dan
One who was made of the stuff of which heroes are made
For Cork and for Millstreet many great games he played.

On Such A Nice Day

A beautiful evening just to be alive
To walk in the park or to go for a drive
The blackbird is piping on a mirror bush tree
And the magpie lark sings his familiar pee wee
A pleasant Spring day of sunshine and breeze
Not too warm or too cool of around twenty degrees
The pied shag on the lake diving for small fish prey
It would be hard to fault such a beautiful day
On the twenty first of November nine days left of Spring
On the bushes and trees the nesting birds sing
The parkland has never been looking so green
Where wildflowers abound Nature at her best to be seen
A cool freshening breeze is blowing up from the bay
Who could not but feel happy on such a nice day.

Claraghatlea West Of Millstreet Town

The old Townland i have not seen for many a day
The place of my childhood from here miles away
Claraghatlea west of Millstreet Town on the road to Rathmore
In sky miles far north of this southern shore
It is cold and wet in Duhallow today
Where Finnow to Blackwater is babbling it's way
Bank high from the high country in flood waters of brown
Through the rushy flat fields close to Millstreet Town
Memories of Duhallow's wintery weather with me does remain
Of the snow capped hills the frost and wind and rain
But every passing day one day nearer to Spring
When the nesting birds will chirp, whistle and sing
And above Claraghatlea fields the swallows will fly
Far north of this Country by land, sea or sky.

Your Greatest Foe

Bad memories the memories we wish to forget
Of people we knew we wish we never met
A friendship that ended in acrimony and woe
A former friend can become your bitterest foe
Some with their old grudges a lifetime do live
They find it too hard to forget and forgive
Though you often see them in the park or the street
The people you'd rather not see or not meet
Your friends of the past but your foes of today
You pass them in silence look the other way
Bitterness can set in when love and friendship does end
Your worst enemy was once your greatest friend
On meeting you both pass in silence without saying hello
Your greatest friend has become your greatest foe.

His Farewell Bell

One in his mid twenties strong, fit, healthy and well
But today he did not hear the tolling of his farewell bell
One who leaves a baby daughter and a grieving wife
A driving mistake it did cost him his life
In the fading twilight half an hour before dark
Last week i met him and his wife with their baby in her pram in the park
With a cheerful good evening they greeted me
The last time together them i was to see
A young father and husband was buried today
For a driving mistake with his life he did pay
Speeding to get to work on time of his car he lost control
To become one more statistic of a growing road toll
He was driving too fast danger he did not fear
This morning the bell that farewelled him he did not hear.

Sheila Kelleher

Not many in Millstreet of her would not know
Sheila Kelleher the Manageress of the famed Laurels B and B at Minor Row
Devoted to her children and to Clem a good wife
'Tis so sad to learn she has lost her gift of life
Few beautiful as her when in her life's prime
When she married Clem going back decades in time
And only the memory of what was remain
Of people we knew but will not see again
Gone from Minor Row another beloved face
Millstreet Town without her is a much poorer place
Along with her husband Clem a Killarney Road Rovers  fan
The Club their son Niall played for when he was a young man
Hope her passing from life was a painless release
One who was loved by many may she now rest in peace.

Sam

When compared to my neighbour the kind hearted Sam
How self centred and selfish a person i am
To help those in need of helping he goes out of his way
One who does perform good deeds every day

Yet he even remains a stranger to local renown
An unsung hero of a coastal country town
Where sport stars and celebrities take pride of place
The kind and compassionate fellow's not a well known face

The already big egos they do further inflate
Where the kind and compassionate and caring they do not celebrate
Though 'tis not the need for adulation kindness in him provoke
He just happens for to be a very good bloke

He does not idolize celebrities or talk of football
But of all of the town's young men the kindest of all
Ask the poor aged widowed pensioner Mr's Wright about Sam and to you she will say
He has done so much to help me without asking for pay.

Paddy Kelleher

I knew him as a young man driving trucks for Paddy Den
Paddy Kelleher was always a man amongst men
A handsome looking fellow broad shouldered and tall
One of Millstreet's finest as i do recall

'Tis so sad to learn that he has passed away
As was for him for us all there's a last night and day
A good father to his children Jerry and Rosemary and a good husband to Theresa his wife
The honorable man led an honorable life

In Millstreet Town in the flesh never more to be seen
But memories of him will remain evergreen
Amongst his many friends and acquaintances one a pleasure to meet
He will be sadly missed in the Town of Millstreet

In Millstreet his life's journey for him began
And there he went to school and grew into a man
And by Cashman's Hill in the Tanyard his last remains lay
From his first home in distance a short walk away.

I Only Can Sing

I only can sing of the beauty i've seen
When Spring is in Koroit in her gown of green
And on trees and bushes the nesting birds sing
The workings of Nature an amazing thing

I only can sing of the far away hills
And the babbling tongues of the creeks and the rills
That flow to the river that flows to the sea
The wild voice of Nature sweet music to me

Of Nature and her ways so little i know
But my wonder of her only does seem to grow
I first grew to love her in fields far away
And doubtless i will love her till my life's final day

I only can sing of the wombat and roo
Of crimson rosella and yellow tail black cockatoo
And magpie and pee wee and pied currawong
One gets to know birds by their chirping or song

I only can sing of the freshening breeze
That soughs in the branches of the taller trees
And though my worth as a rhymer i have reason to doubt
In Nature there's heaps of things to write about.

A Saying From My Childhood

A saying from my childhood i recall i have heard said
That one never ought to speak ill of the dead
But those words to the living should also apply
A fair go to anyone we ought not to deny
But some never receive a fair go that does seem sad to say
People who do have to live with prejudice every day
In a fair Human World this never would be
Of the unfairness of prejudice some  will never be free
Some people in their ways do seem very small
They believe on a fair go for their own kind but not on a fair go for all
The way you speak of others tell of the person you are
The victims of prejudice are left with a lifetime mental scar
And sad to say the fair go to all to all does not apply
Though such a right to anyone we ought not to deny.

Australia's Foreign Based Leaders

Australia's Head of State lives in Britain and Australia's Commander in Chief lives in the U S of A
At least anyhow it is looking this way
Australia's so called Government and Opposition the wishes of the U S Government obey
That our politicians are weak seems a sad thing to say

Though with what i say on this many may not agree
That the U S should have army bases in Australia seems all wrong to me
The assets of the Country Australia's Government sell
Though from such dealings a minority of Aussies doing well

Australian uranium being sold to Countries where nuclear weapons abound
Such stuff belong to Nature and should be left in the ground
Australia's Government selling off the Country's natural assets for a short term gain
How they can be so gullible is beyond me to explain

Australia's Head of State lives in Britain the Commander in Chief in the U S of A
Though he has departed Down Under just after a night and a day
Obama is one Australia's P M Gillard does greatly admire
And of singing his praises she never seems to tire.

You Have No Right

You have no right to judge him though wrong he has done
He too has a mother just like everyone
Convicted for a traffic speeding offence not a serious crime at all
Compared to the sins of some others his does seem quite small
He has his driving licence suspended on him this is tough
A judge of the court he has judged him and on him has been hard enough
And he does not need one like you to verbally put him down
Remember he too has to live in this town
He is far from a bad person though he has had a slight fall from grace
Just a bit wild in his ways though his heart's in the right place
For being his self appointed judge any award you will not receive
You and people like you on live and let live never could believe
You have no right to judge him though you do not see it this way
For his traffic violation his state appointed judge has decided on the price he should pay.

Our Lessons In Life

Our lessons in life always come at a cost
In erosion of trust in others and in innocence lost
In our dealings with people we find everyone is not just
And not many people you know you do trust
For us there are lessons in life every day
But the price of such lessons can be huge for to pay
And trust from once breached you may never regain
The one who has wronged you by deception you may not trust again
Though you may not be one out to even a score
Your trust in one from once lost is lost forever more
We receive from life what is only our due
And to your higher self if you cannot stay true
And your untrustworthy ways have given you a bad name
Then for that you have only yourself for to blame.

Great Tits

White cheeks, black head and throat, yellow unders and back and tail blue to green
Familiar to many birds that are often seen
They nest in a tree cavity or hole in a standing log or a wall
Fond memories of them i do have to recall

Once seen and once heard one cannot get them wrong
The great tits have an unmistakeable song
Metallic, high pitched and often repeated in Spring his nesting borders he defend
Even males of his own kind to him then not a friend

Like many small birds few great tits live to be old
In Winter many of them die of hunger and cold
And only the strongest survive to see Spring
To build nests and mate and to raise young and sing

Fond memories of them i do have to retain
And in my flights of fancy i see them again
Searching for seeds and insects and spiders and bees
Sometimes on the ground but mostly on the trees.

In The Far Away Hills

In the far away hills the dark brown weerloo
The birds known to many as yellow tail black cockatoo
With their strong beaks are shredding the monterey pine cones for their tiny dark seeds to eat
What does not look appetizing to them a nutritous treat
In the far away hills far from the nearest town
The white cockatoos are squawking as the sun is going down
On the mountain ash the tallest of eucalypt trees
Their harsh calls are carrying in the freshening breeze
That blow across the high woodland in the fading light of day
In the hills west of here the high woods far away
They laugh in the twilight and they laugh at daybreak
The loud laughter of the kookaburras one could never mistake
'Tis a beautiful place to be when the sun is going down
West in the far away hills far from the nearest town.

A Long Way South Of Millstreet And Rathmore

He will never again see old Caherbarnagh or Gortavehy and it's face of stone
Or he will never again see the sun rise above the legendary Paps of Shrone
An aged migrant from the Cork and Kerry border a long way south of Millstreet and Rathmore
The passage of time has left him walking slower though he looks well for one of eighty four
From where he lives Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra in distance more than half  a world away
As a handsome young man his hair it was light brown his balding head it now is silver gray
His Aussie wife is deceased with a few years in eternal rest her bones forever lay
And far south of the Cork and Kerry border he will live out his final night and day
A great grand-dad his son and daughter in their fifties they too are showing the wear of passing time
It has been awhile since they were in their twenties they are two decades beyond their life's prime
On looking back the years go by so quickly though he hopes he has not lived his final Fall
For everyone there is a final sunset there is a last night and day for us all
He often talks of Villages near the Cork and Kerry border such as Ballydesmond, Cullen, Gneeveguilla and Knocknagree
Though he knows today that he would be a stranger in the place he left in nineteen fifty three.

Wherever My Travels Take Me To

Wherever my travels take me to my past it keeps following me
The old fields i loved in my young years embedded in my memory
The silver tongued rill from the high fields goes babbling by ditch and hedgerow
And i still see the hawthorns of Maytime cloaked in their blossoms as white as snow

To the fields where i grew to love Nature the Seasons do come and do go
The old fields that remain as ageless whilst time it has become my foe
Yet i can visualize the male robin singing on a leafy alder tree
The summer sunshine on his red breast his way of proclaiming territory

In far fields by northern mountains my love for Nature began to grow
But the more that i do learn of her  the more i realize so little about her i know
She never does cease to amaze me i learn from her every day
Our Earth Mother the one who supports us to describe her the words i do not have for to say

Wherever my travles take me to the past with me does come along
In my flights of fancy the chaffinch on a silver birch tree is on song
Cattle by the day are getting fatter on grass lush from recent spring showers
And the old fields are looking resplendent in Nature's own wildborn flowers.

It Ought Go Without Saying

It ought go without saying that power is with might
And the truth to be found in two wrongs don't make a right
And though to humanity's honor many an amazing feat
Our mistakes of the past we do tend to repeat

That history does repeat itself does seem to be so
The war supposed to end all wars was fought near a century ago
But from that we've not learned war is waged today
We give most of our power to the aggresive it does seem this way

And those we share things in common with we do wish to know
Hence we do make a friend of our enemy's foe
And where friends do fall out there is hostility
This is how we are and we always will be

We do have our good points and we do have our flaws
And we live by the book of our human made laws
From the birth pains of a woman our life's journey began
And old age and death follows youthful elan.

One Can Only Look

One can only look for the best in people though the best in some you may not find
For there are people who are self centred and do not know how to be kind
The people who try to promote self by trying to bring others down
'Tis true one likely to meet all sorts in any city, village or town
Some people spiritually damaged as children by mentors lacking on insight
People who impressed on them for to climb the social ladder to put down others is all right
People learn their values as children the values that they do carry through life
The child whose mentors does disrespect women will be the man who abuses his wife
We become mirrors of our mentors though their gift of life from them may be long gone
We become what they used to stand for their sense of values in us does live on
We follow the ways of those we looked up to as children though their set of values were wrong
The bent saplings grows to a bent tree the straight sapling grows tall and strong
One can only look for the best in people this is how it should be anyway
Though on getting to know some you feel disappointed that does seem a fair thing to say.

I Am Of The Fields

I am of the fields where the rushes do grow
Where the river Finnow to the Blackwater flow
Of here to the north and many miles away
Though home is where you live as many do say
Though them in reality i may never more see
Those old fields do hold happy memories for me
High above the rushes in the prime of Spring
The little brown lark in the cloud world does sing
A musical speck in the calm evening sky
Though born on the ground to sing he has to fly
I only have memories left for to share
Of the fields of the badger and the shy brown hare
When the hawthorns are cloaked in their white blooms of the May
And the nesting birds sing for to greet the new day.

Archie Roach's Countryside

Killarney in Victoria Archie Roach's countryside
Where he lived with his beloved Ruby Hunter till in her fifties she died
And left him to grieve for her in their home by the sea
How sad very sad life for him has to be

The pride of his race and his indigenous clan
The passage of time and poor health has stripped him of some of elan
But the great gifts of music, song and poetry with him does remain
And good to know the gifts he was born with are his to retain

Till he breathes his last though his words and music will live on
Long after the memory of the existence of most from human history has gone
His memorable words will take people down memory's fading track
And the ghosts of the tribes of the lost children he sung about will keep coming back

To their spiritual homes in this great land of the south
The children that Archie Roach does sing about
By the Government taken from their parents child stealing a crime
Sad memories live on through the passage of time

Of Australia's great singer songwriters one who remains to the fore
For Archie there has been many an encore
Far beyond Australia's shores he is famed Worldwide
And he lives in Killarney in Victoria his beloved countryside.

Since We Are born As Mortals

Since we are born as mortals we eventually must die
The same for the monarch as for you and i
Like every form of life death is for us all
And for each one of us there is a final Fall
You may be one the masses do celebrate
But like the food you do eat on you a use by date
Like the flowers of the Summer we fade to decay
Our prime quickly passes as time ticks away
I envy the one who does age with grace
Who wears the age wrinkles on hands, neck and face
Who never uses hair dye to cover the gray
The one who does age in the natural way
We are born as mortals that and nothing more
Though this is something you know of and heard of before.

A Very Good Person

A very good person but she never stands out in the crowd
And she is not haughty and she is not proud
One kind and compassionate in her own way
Unkind things of others she never does say
A middle aged widow with a twenty year old unmarried son
By her acts of kindness from all who know her respect she has won
'Tis a sad fact of life and not anything new
When i say that great people like her far too few
For the person she is her i can only admire
And of singing her praises i for one never tire
I often see her in the park or on the street
A beautiful person a pleasure to meet
With the warmth of sunshine in her cheerful hello
One can say of her she has the inner glow.

I Do Have My Flaws

As a community or socially minded person i will never be known
Suppose i do have my flaws but my flaws are my own
But i hope my flaws do not hurt others in any way
Since i believe in live and let live i see it this way
I have never lived at a fashionable address
Though i am one of many who knows about stress
For to live as a good person i feel i do try
But my failings are many that i won't deny
One  not that well known in a small coastal town
Though in my words i've never brought anyone down
I go my own way and i do my own thing
Though the praises of good people i too like to sing
On success i too had my chances i left them go by
Any sort of success never comes easy for it you must try.

A Saying From My Childhood

A saying from my childhood i recall from decades ago
That good triumphs over evil though now i feel this not necessarily so
In war between good and evil 'tis hard to differentiate
Though war winners are always seen as the good guys and their victory they do celebrate
George W Bush one who defined good from evil before he ordered the invasion of Iraq
Said Saddam and his Regime are evil we will put them under attack
With the help of Howard and Blair amongst other Allies Iraqi resistance was quickly destroyed
And huge damage done in the process where thousands of Iraqi civilians died
Yes George W's definition of good and evil for many does seem hard to define
For his idea of good and evil are divided by a non existent line
How can you be good  if people because of you die in Iraq and Afghanistan
The one who thinks he is a good person is a fundamentalist sort of a man
A good person does not declare war on others he or she performs their good deeds every day
And to help those in need of helping do readily go out of their way.

With That would You Agree

To your invisible god you do kneel for to pray
Though what you believe in with me is okay
You dismiss me as a bad person one without a god
For one who proclaims himself to be religious that does seem odd
Your right to your opinions not for me to deny
Though judge  and thou shalt be judged to you too does apply
But each to their own as some do like to say
Suppose we all look at life in our sort of a way
You look down on me as a never do well
One out of favour with god as a mere infidel
That is your opinion and that suits me fine
Though your way of thinking is different to mine
Suppose if we all believed on the same thing how boring we'd be
Variety is the spice of life with that would you agree?

To Write Rhyme Is Easy

Though my worth as a rhymer i have reason to doubt
No shortage of things for me to write about
To write rhyme is easy as easy as can be
Anybody can do it you can have that from me
But to write good rhyme is not easy and good rhymers are few
You might say to that tell us something that's new
A good rhymer does deserve the title of poet
And is one who is worthy of literary note
For many years i have been a rhyming buff
And i am one who has written a whole heap of stuff
To my total i keep adding rhymes every day
But my worth as a rhymer is not for me to say
I am always happy when i'm penning rhyme
and i never  do see it as a waste of time.

In Lack Of Self Confidence

In lack of self confidence it is well known
That the seeds of success cannot ever be sown
This is how it is and it always will be
At least anyhow that's how it seems to me

To achieve your dreams makes it impossibly tough
If you secretly feel you are not good enough
The belief in the self must be bubbling within
For if not you are one who cannot hope to win

Self confident people quite cocky may seem
But in ways they are lucky to have high self esteem
If they do not achieve their goals of them one cannot say
'Tis not their lack in self belief that got in the way

If you think you cannot win then you are bound for to lose
Since for failure in your thoughts you have opted for to choose
Without positive thoughts one cannot hope to succeed
Since the power of thought is quite a great thing indeed.

Paddy Murphy

Paddy Murphy as a young man emigrated he left the high green fields of Claramore
His journey to the U S  it did take him far distant from Hibernia's windswept shore
In the U S he worked hard for his fortune and returned to marry Theresa Corcoran of Millstreet Town's West End
Where they raised their children and grew old together and where he was known and made many a friend
He will be missed by everyone who knew him in Millstreet where he lived out his long life
As a loving father to his lovely daughters and an ever faithful husband to Theresa his good wife
On the last time i spoke to Paddy Murphy the gray fog old Clara's face was rolling down
And Finnow bank high was flowing to the Blackwater on that November day in Millstreet Town
I little thought then that i never more would see him and since then one hundred seasons have gone by
In Millstreet like everywhere the changes have been happening though on looking back the years just seem to fly
A decent and hard working fellow Paddy Murphy about him he had such an honest way
And good memories of him will live on in Millstreet though amongst the Parish deceased he now lay
Good people like him deserve to be remembered though sad to think his kind heart is forever still
His last remains are now at rest forever in St Mary's within view of Cashman's Hill.

The Amazing Stella Cashman

The greatest race walking ambassador for her first home Parish the woman from Tullig Millstreet
With success against the best in the World in Australia she did compete
A bronze world walking medal for her adopted country her story deserves to be told
Had she not received a serious injury from a horse fall she would have been the winner of gold

Nowadays coach of The Park Race Walkers a famed race walking identity in New York
A long way from Tullig in Millstreet in Duhallow in the County of Cork
Like it has often been said of people one cannot keep a good one down
That's how it is with Stella Cashman and she hails from near Millstreet Town

When i was a schoolboy in Millstreet of Stella Cashman i first got to know
On a balmy evening in July walking in the Town in Minor Row
Then in her late teens or early twenties she greeted me with a warm smile
So beautiful, tall and athletic one untouched by conceit or guile

The lust of the wander was in her and her i was to see never more
The migrant ship did take Ireland's best people i repeat what has been said before
Now well into her seventh decade in time that is a lengthy span
In the high country in Tullig in Millstreet her great journey in life began

Amongst race walkers in New York City one famous and admired and widely known
Far from her first Hometown of Millstreet the legend of Stella Cashman has grown
As a boy in Minor Row i did meet her on a balmy evening in July
Near her prime a beautiful woman since then many seasons gone by.

Nora Graham

In Coolikerane her life's journey began
And in her prime she lived in England of time quite a span
Where she met John Graham the love of her life
To a very good fellow a devoted wife

They returned to Coolikerane to live in retirement and grow old
Their story of devotion to each other deserves to be told
But for all of us there is a last night and day
Though so sad to learn that Nora has passed away

In life she made many friends and she did age with grace
And from Millstreet her's will be a sadly missed face
Amongst the deceased of the Parish her last remains lay
But with all of those who knew her fond memories of her will stay.

From life for us all there's a final release
And one can only hope she died without pain may she now rest in peace
Kind and helpful in her ways she never harmed anyone
And throughout her long life many new friends she won.

In November In Duhallow

The wind from the mountains with a chill does blow
Where Araglen bank high to Blackwater flow
Ground frost overnight has left the fields looking gray
In November in Duhallow from here far away

The weather temperature one above zero cold enough to snow
And the cattle in farm shed for fodder bellow
The migrant redwing thrushes chirp on the bare hedgerow
At a time of year when grass refuse to grow

Brown flood waters gurgling in the roadside drain
And the gray clouds are heavily pregnant with rain
The songs of the birds one not likely to hear
In November in Duhallow a cold and wet time of year

Brown flood waters bank high in the babbling rill
Flowing down to the river from the lake by the hill
The dead leaves of Autumn on the ground by their mother trees
In weather wet, windy and cold close to zero degrees.

On House Sparrows

Beneath the house eaves in their nests of feathers and hay
In Spring and Summer i see and hear them every day
To human dwellings always happy to live near
In backyards they chirp every day of the year
Brown to gray finch sized birds familiar to all
They congregate in flocks in the Fall
To everyone house sparrows are known
And they do have a charm of their own
Of humans they display little fear
To human dwellings always happy to live near
In the townpark or sidewalk of the street
Everyday them you are bound to meet
Plain gray to brown birds they do not have a song
Though they chirp all year and all day long.

My Only Fight

With my own self my greatest fight
Don't talk of war to me tonight
Of the praises of your war heroes you well may sing
Though war with it destruction, death, injury, suffering and sorrow does bring
To civilians that war zones do flee
My sympathy to every dispossessed war refugee
And though entitled to your point of view
Your kind sad to say far from few
As to you i've already made it clear
Your opinions on war i do not wish to hear
Since with your opinions i do not agree
Meeting you is never a pleasure to me
Survival of myself is my only fight
Don't talk to me of war tonight.

November

Though little of her ways i can claim to know
My wonder of Nature never ceases to grow
The nesting birds whistling on bushes and trees
On a beautiful Spring day of sunshine and breeze
A voice familiar to many and familiar to me
The magpie lark in the park singing pee wee
In the blue and sunny sky just a few clouds of gray
Who could not but feel happy on such a nice day
November a beautiful time of the year
The warmer days of summer are drawing ever near
The dark swallows chasing flying insects through the sky
And young birds out of the nest are learning how to fly
The magpies and blackbirds and finches and shrike thrushes on song
And young sparrows in their nest chirping all day long.

Give To Receive

For to feel disappointed something one does not choose
But for one to win someone else has to lose
It is part of what's known as our life's destiny
This is how it is and it always will be
Doesn't matter your skin color white, black or brown
Or if you live on the poor or wealthy side of town
Or if you have or do not have a house, boat or car
Though it matters the type of person that you are
I find it impossible to admire the moneyed billionaire
Who only knows how to take but not to give and share
They have missed out on kindness, compassion and empathy
And are quite poor in some ways it does seem to me
Since on the higher principle they firmly believe
The best people are those who give to receive.

Though I Have

Though i have penned reams and reams of doggerel
Of success stories in life i don't have for to tell
In a Human World of winners and losers as some like to say
But then i ask you what's success anyway

Since one fact of life and fact never does lie
That us humans are mortals and born to die
The Reaper of lives between the haves and the have nots does not differentiate
In one way we all share a similar fate

With each other for success in life we compete
But only one can be the best in the street
And only one can be the best in the town
But always a few who try to drag you down

Any stories of material success i do not have to relate
But the great gifts of life and good health i have to celebrate
And compared to many my worries seem small
One can say i am not doing too badly at all.

Margaret Tarrant

From her old home in Gortavehy about three miles away
Margaret Tarrant's remains at peace forever lay
In the quietness within view of Cashman's Hill
Her kindly heart is now forever still

A good mother to her children and to Nicholas a good wife
One loved by many she lived a long life
One who did a good deed or two every day
And often to help others went out of her way

In Millstreet Parish her's was a well loved face
And by Millstreet Town her final resting place
Her gift of life from her may well be gone
But memories of the great person she was will live on

With relations and family and everyone she did befriend
She will not be forgotten though her life's journey has come to an end
A journey one night or day that must end for us all
The Reaper on our lives does have the final call.

Boherascrub

A Town without a cricket or a football club
By the far away hills known as Boherascrub
But the two pubs there business-wise doing okay
More to life than cricket and footy it does seem this way

The pubs full to capacity on saturday night
And scarce notice taken of a drunken fight
Where the town's three policemen as drunk as can be
Of what's going on around them pretend not to see

But in Boherascrub never an all in brawl
Just the odd drunken scuffle little else to recall
In the ways of entertainment where every adult drinks beer
The town's number one pleasure the glass of liquid cheer

No artists or writers in Boherascrub Town
Where to be known as a good drinker of alcohol is one's claim to renown
Where the women like the men enjoy their liquid alcohol fill
And leave most of their week's wages in the publican's till

A Town by the far away mountains not to anywhere near
Of legends of sports from there you will not hear
Known as Boherascrub where on saturday night
The only excitement is the brief drunken fight.

A Long Way To Claraghatlea

A long way to Claraghatlea near Millstreet Town
Where Finnow from the high country winds it's way down
Through old fields a home to the rook and gray crow
On towards the Blackwater in a babbling flow

A long way from here to the silver tongued rill
That ripples it's way down the fields by the hill
On to join the river to the ocean shore
It has flowed forever and will forever more

A long way from Shannaknock and Coolikerane bog
Where i often hunted with Pudsy the dog
When i was a youngster many decades ago
Many years before time became my greatest foe

A long way from Inchaleigh, Claramore, Clarabeg and Dereen
And the high fields by Clara in my thoughts evergreen
And only the memories with me now remain
Of places i may never visit again.

Facebook Friends

That you've got thousands of facebook friends you don't leave us in doubt
But you'll only know who your true friends are when you are down and out
When you are short of money and your bills you've not paid
On your time of most need your true friends come to your aid
Some of your facebook friends you've never met and from you they live far away
In distant places in Africa, Asia and Europe  and the U S of A
For your thousands of friends on facebook online you have browsed near and far
But only when you are in trouble you will know who your friends are
Of your thousands of friends on facebook you do like to crow
Though many of them you've never met or may never get to know
But if you see them as your friends with me that's okay
As each to their own as some do like to say
On facebook your name and fame has travelled far
But 'tis when you are down you know who your friends are.

You Struggle To Cope

You struggle to cope and your moods are all black
And your nervous system from stress is under attack
But courage is a thing that you do not lack
And against the odds you do keep on fighting back
In your desperation you've contemplated suicide
But your will to live is strong and such urges you have denied
For you feel no desire to be amongst the dead
And you do sense that better days of you are ahead
Financially poor and your luck is not in
But you often daydream of a big lotto win
And like 'tis said all things do come to those who do wait
In hope you are one of those who does keep faith
In public you do not appear as one feeling down
And you walk with a smile on the streets of the town.

You Will Never Become

You will never become the most loved one in the town
If you are known as one who verbally puts others down
Some of the ruthless in material ways may know of success
But their lack of compassion many does not impress
To the non judgemental in any town goes pride of place
The idea of the fair go for everyone they do embrace
Such people broad minded in their ways not small
They promote the good values in the fair go for all
Cruel words used to offend another is such a harsh thing
The praises of the abusive one you will not hear many sing
On the way we treat others we do have a choice
Like is said by the wise one 'tis nice to be nice
In life we receive as good as we give
And i endorse the truth in the saying of live and let live.

Where Rain Never Does Fall

Ants in their billions on the dry dusty ground crawl
Along with flies and skinks the only forms of life where rain never does fall
Us humans could not hope to live in a world without rain
So of wet and windy weather why do some people complain
Wind generates electricity and rain growth does create
Nature's gifts are things we ought to celebrate
Impossible to please everyone as some do say
Some people want everything to go their way
In deserts where it never rains and most life forms could not hope to survive
Ants and creatures that live on them are known to thrive
But in a world without sun, wind and rain few life forms could live
As these three gifts from nature life to the earth does give
Along with the sunshine we also need wind and rain
Though wet and windy weather causes some to complain.

I Just Want To Live On

My better days to the forever gone
But that does not phase me i want to live on
Living in this world for as long as i can
And die without pain as a very old man
Of the supposed life after death is not for me to say
And since i do not believe in a god that to i could pray
I just want to live happy and healthy of old age to die
Since life after death may be based on a lie
I know that time on me does tick away
So i feel grateful for life on my every waking day
Financially i've not been doing well of late
But in my life i have much to celebrate
I am healthy and compared to many my worries seem small
And i am enjoying life which matters most of all.

The One Who Has Wronged You

The one who has wronged you is the one you wish you've never met
It is hard to forgive and as hard to forget
But an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
Is only for those who are lacking in ruth
Those who have compassion are blessed indeed
One can say of them that they are a rare breed
They do firmly believe in live and let live
And those who have done them wrong they can forgive
Whether at the shopping centre, the pub, in the park or on the street
The one who has wronged you the one you would rather not meet
Which does seem a normal way for to feel after all
Bad memories are things few do wish to recall
It is hard to forget and as hard to forgive
And memories good and bad in our minds seem to live.

Seven Billion People

Seven billion people for Mother Earth to feed
Even for her that does seem a huge task indeed
Yet to the one who supports us and food for us grow
The respect she does warrant from us to her we do not show
The material things we posses from her we do attain
We choose to abuse her for our financial gain
We dig her ground for her riches and claim them for our own
By our greed the demise of our species we well may have sown
Despite our achievements we are born as mortals why otherwise pretend
But to Mother Earth who does feed us we are not a friend
We do take and take from her and in return to her little give
Though she supplies us with our needs for as long as we live
Seven billion people in the world for her for to feed
Even of her we do seem to ask a lot indeed.

On The Blackbird

When the blackbird's melodious voice you hear
You know it's Springtime of the year
For only in Summer and all through Spring
The gold bill bird is known to sing
The Aussies who say he is not an Aussie his ancestors were brought from a foreign land
Their reasoning i struggle for to understand
Like to the Roman home is Rome
To the Aussie born blackbird Australia's home
And though some with that may not agree
That is how it does seem to me
Territorial birds like the blackbird not to Country but to place belong
And their bond to territory is strong
And the only reason they do sing
Is to defend their nesting borders in the Spring.

She Loves Mr Muscles

She is so in love with her ideal sort of man
With tattoos on his arms and big muscles and full of youthful elan
He walks out hand in hand with her his pit bull terrier  on a leash at his right hand side
As he struts with the swagger of sheer manly pride
Women in their choice of men vary and it would seem fair to say
That some of the fair sex fall for the macho type in a big way
Whilst most of course fall for one of wealth and fame
And few women wish to know of a poor bloke not even by name
But she loves Mr muscles broad shouldered and tall
Some women are not hard for to please at all
With his beautiful girl friend and big tough dog it does seem obvious he
Is telling the world there's none greater than me
Women in their choice of male vary would you not agree
Though few wish to know of the bloke in poverty.

That Suits Me Fine

The first man and woman were Adam and Eve
Millions of christians world-wide do believe
But what is true to them seems a fallacy to me
Suppose we all do have our own reality
Though to their way of thinking i am not one who does belong
It is not for me to say that they are wrong
And like all mysteries the story of Adam and Eve will never be truly known
But like as is often said each to their own
Like most of us enjoy the taste of different wine
Your beliefs and values may be quite different to mine
As long as you never harm anyone in any way
Your values and beliefs with me are okay
And though your way of thinking quite different to mine
You are what you stand for and that suits me fine.

Much To My Disappointment

Much to my disappointment i have come to realize
That in ways i am not that different to those i criticize
The human failings in others that i do see
Are the failings i have come to dislike in me

We need ego for survival as is often said
But like many my ego too big for my head
I am not one of the humble since their kind are few
Though you may say to that tell us something that's new

With my human failings i struggle every day
My swollen ego of humility always gets in the way
The craves of the ego i too does pursue
And we are like those we dislike does remain ever true

Much to my disappointment i have become aware
That with those i criticize many things in common i do share
That in my ways i too can be so very small
And this does not please me not one bit at all.

If In Hope You Keep Faith

To you good tidings will come if in hope you keep faith
For the turn of luck comes to all of those who do wait
Those who laugh last laugh loudest as some like to say
The hard times will fade to a far better day
Those who in their lives seem to have lost their way
If in hope they keep faith things for them will turn out okay
But if you lose hope you cannot hope to win
And failure your lot when you throw the towel in
If you feel that life to you is quite unfair
Then you are embracing the ghost of despair
Such negative feelings bound to drag you down
Who wants for to live as a sad sack of the town
If in hope you keep faith good times of you ahead
But failure your lot if hope in you is dead.

In A Far Away Place

In a far away place by a far away town
The birds chirp and sing as the sun is going down
In the cool of what has been a nice summer's day
The coastal paddocks scent sweetly of freshly mown hay

A scene that a poet to poetry would inspire
In Nature beauty for all for to admire
The magpie does flute with his silvery bill
In the far away place by the far away hill

I can only marvel at what i do see
Nature's beauty that is everywhere around me
A warm coastal breeze it is blowing in my face
As in fancy i walk in the far away place

The birds chirp and whistle on the bushes and trees
And the sweet cent of hay wafts in the summer breeze
In summer the song lark for to sing above the paddock flies
In the far away place when i do visualize.

The Greatest Of All Gifts

In life we do have our ups and downs as success through money we pursue
But if you cannot love yourself you cannot love anyone a saying i believe to be true
Money may bring you friends and admirers and you may be seen as a great success
And though money is seen as quite important it cannot buy you happiness
The celebrated and moneyed wealthy of any material things not in need
At what many only can dream of they have managed for to succeed
The people who are known and famous their praises so many do sing
But fame and money does not make one happy and happiness a most important thing
The happy of mind are so lucky to them laughter comes easily
They have the gift that's most important at least that's how it seems to me
Where-ever they are joy is with them in the park or the pub or the street
Their gift in life is to be happy such people a pleasure to meet
They love themselves and they love others what money cannot buy they possess
And that is the greatest of all gifts the thing that's known as happiness.

An Ageing Fellow From Duhallow

An ageing fellow from Duhallow is all that i ever can be
Though the old fields i used to love dearly in memory i only now see
The waterways bogs and the mountains such beauty i can visualize
Though far from places of my young years i may witness my last sunrise
Back there where i was known to many i might be a stranger today
From the fields by the Boggeragh mountains perhaps i've been too long away
From places once to me familiar till the wanderlust got hold of me
We all undertake a different life journey that is part of our life's destiny
An ageing fellow from Duhallow i'll remain as till the day i do die
If i pretended to be anything different i would only be living a lie
In Duhallow i first looked on daylight and there my life's journey began
But far south of the fields of my boyhood i may well live out my life span
A fellow from Claraghatlea in Millstreet in Duhallow is all i am and will remain
And sometimes in my flights of fancy i walk in the old fields again.