Lena O' Keeffe

Her work for the Millstreet Tidy Town Committee for many years played a huge part in her life
Lena nee Kelleher to John O' Keeffe was a good and a loving wife
Her and John often seen doing their tidy town work on the streets of Millstreet Town
On Summer evenings long ago after supper till sundown

With John out for their evening walk she will not be seen again
But a kind hearted woman of striking beauty in memory does remain
She was one of Millstreet's finest so graceful and so tall
Mental pictures of her with those who knew her will remain to recall

To that old Town by Clara Hill the Seasons come and go
And the passing of time eventually to everyone a foe
Gone from the Main Street in the flesh one loved, admired and widely known
The inspirational woman Lena she was one of Millstreet's own.

Sad to think that her heart so full of love and kindness is now forever still
In her grave in St Mary's in view of Cashman's Hill
One can only hope that death for her was from life a painless release
Lena the wife of John O' Keeffe may she now rest in peace.

No Reason For To Complain

White butterflies flitting in the warm sunlight
On a Summer morning that is pleasant and breezy and bright
Under the house eaves the young sparrows chirp in their nests of feathers and hay
It is so good to be living on such a nice day
The park looking green after overnight rain
About such weather no reason for to complain
Amongst the clouds of blue some woolly looking clouds of gray
And with a freshening breeze blowing up from the bay
Mother Nature her cloak of many colours does wear
Her beauty with us she is willing to share
Were i a poet a poem of such beauty i would write
For lovers of Nature poetry to enjoy and read and recite
Of Nature's beauty that is everywhere around me
The beauty i do not have to pay for to see.

So Live in The Now

The biological clock is becoming my foe
And only in memory i can go to the long ago
And though like many i too would love to turn back the hands of time
Only the memories left to me of my long gone prime
We receive from life what is only our due
And make the most of your lot in life only seems true
In the end to the scythe of the Reaper we eventually must fall
And he is the greatest egalatarian of all
Since the greatest are born to be mortals why otherwise pretend
Death awaits us all at our life's journey's end
The billionaire then no greater than the refugee
Or the homeless one living in dire poverty
So live in the now make the most of your day
Time does not wait for us it does seem this way.

Christmas Day 2011

The weather is warm though thunder rain overnight
And in the morning of Christmas warmth in the sunlight
It is looking like a warm and humid Christmas Day
Though the weather forecast has more thunder rain on the way
A place of celebration where friends and families do meet
Picnic tables are being set up in the park by the street
Eskies full of beer, chops and snags to barbecue
To their Christmas tradition Aussies remain true
In Australia at Christmas for many no shortage of meat
Or of alcohol to drink or of any sort of food for to eat
'Tis the land of plenty as some are known to say
Not only at Christmas but on every day
But in the land of plenty the have nots are not few
You may say to that tell us something that is new.

You Tell Me

So many losing out in the social divide
And the gap between the haves and the have nots grows wide
And many far too many of hunger have died
And sad to say millions of a fair go denied
You try to convince me all in life is fair
In a Human World where many grow poorer for every new millionaire
You tell me everyone has life choices with that i do not agree
You try telling that to the poor Stateless refugee?
You tell me that some are just born to lose
How would you know that have you lived in the shoes
Of a homeless person one in dire poverty?
You do seem quite a judgemental person to me
In your words the have nots of a fair go you deny
But judge and you will be judged to you too does apply.

An Aussie Coastal Christmas Day

The weather temperature 31 degrees on an Aussie coastal Christmas Day
With their lunch eaten the bronzed sun worshippers on the sunlit beach do lay
Slightly hung over after drinking and partying on Christmas Eve Night
Conditions  quite ideal for improving their sun tans in the warm sunlight
On Christmas day the coastal Aussies love to wine and dine
And after play beach cricket then lay in the sunshine
Bare skin exposed to the summer sun skin cancer they do not fear
The holiday making coastal Aussie's way of having fun  at the end of the old year
Though both of them are good and kind on that most would agree
The coastal and bush Aussies in their ways different as can be
Over the Christmas Holidays coastal Aussies surf and play cricket with their cricket club
And later drink till closing time at their favourite local pub
After wining and dining and playing their games on an Aussie Christmas Day
Most coastal Aussies go to the beach and in the sunshine lay.

Gerard Dromey

I remember Gerard from the Millstreet Convent school he was sensitive and shy
Since then near six decades in time has ticked on by
But from the Millstreet Boys Primary School him i cannot recall
My memory at times not the best and does not serve me well at all
The sad news of his passing did take me to the past
To my fledgling years decades ago how time does tick on fast
Those i grew up with in years getting on and have known a better day
And some of them Gerard Dromey one with the departed lay
By all accounts a decent soul one who led a good life
Kind to his friends and devoted to his children and his wife
One who remained true to those dear to him and one who never sought renown
He will be missed in Murphy's Terrace and likewise Millstreet Town
Though for each of us a final Fall and a final night and day
One more good person lost to Millstreet Town that would seem fair to say.

A Millstreet Christmas

Old Clara is in his December hat of snow
And Finnow from the high country bank high does flow
On towards the Blackwater it rumbles on down
In bare rushy wet fields just west of Millstreet Town

Across the deserted fields the cold winds do blow
And the redwings are chirping on the bare hedgerow
And the cattle in farmshed for fodder bellow
A scene of  Christmas i once used to know

At a time of year when the weather is never sunny and fine
In the heated indoors the friends and families wine and dine
And though like many more from such a life i've moved on
I still do have memories of Christmas long gone

Here in Victoria the weather is humid close to thirty degrees
And warmth in the sunshine and warmth in the breeze
Around the blossoming shrubs and trees brown butterflies fly
And swallows chase flying insects in the sunny sky

Yet i do recall Christmas from here far away
When from overnight ground frost the old fields were gray
And old Finnow bank high in flood waters of brown
Flowed to the Blackwater close to Millstreet Town.

He Carries Joy With Him

Wearing colorful clothes and a blue checked tartan cap
He did seem to me quite a happy young chap
With a big smile on his face though the morning sky gray
The  stranger who greeted me with a cheerful good day
He whistled a tune as he walked down the street
And though perhaps him again i may never more meet
I will recall him as one who seemed carefree
A carrier of joy who makes friends easily
I bet in his travels in life his friends in numbers grow
Since people like him others do wish to know
The sky overcast it was threatening to rain
He whistled on the street as he walked to the train
He carries joy with him and spreads it around
Wherever he will be at happiness will be found.

Australia The Great Land

In Australia i have travelled a bit been to many a town
And on some of the roadways of the big Country i've driven up and down
But many have seen more of Down Under than me
In the great Southern Country there is so much to see
A land of many climates and amazing scenery
The home of the pittosporum, wattle and the eucalypt tree
Where many of the World's most amazing life forms are to be found
And where megapodes, marsupials and monoterenes abound
Where honeyeaters, mud nest builders and ratites are regularly seen
Of varying shapes and sizes and colours from blue, black, white, pink, red, gold and green
In the land of the oldest Race the people of the Dreamtime
They have become the legends of story and rhyme
The home of the magpie, currawong, kookaburra, lyrebird and the unmistakeable pee wee
Australia the great Land Surrounded by sea.

He Said

He said you have written a lot but you do not write well
So many like you who do pen doggerel
Such stuff from the memory that is quick to fade
But then everyone is welcome in the wordsmith trade
When younger at such remarks i would have taken offense
But age it has brought me one might say more sense
And since his opinions are his  that suits me fine
Since what is his is hardly any business of mine
An educated bloke in his mid thirties though in discernment he does lack
Since he fail to realize that words from once spoken cannot be taken back
The discerning without causing offense speak the truth
It is the callous and arrogant who lack in ruth
He said the type of stuff you pen anybody could write
Though him for his opinion on my work i did not invite.

You May Use

You may use anti ageing creams and powders to smooth your age wrinkles away
 And you may well buy for yourself hair dyes for to cloak your natural gray
These products may make you look younger by hiding the ravages of time
But you can never recover your lost youth or the health and fitness of your long gone prime
Anti ageing creams and hair dyes do not lengthen the life span by one second overall
And true that pride that boosts the ego always comes before a fall
And the need in many to look young despite ageing is not an uncommon thing
Since the praises of the aged and ageing you will not hear many sing
A dwindling minority in the Human World of today
Those who age with grace in the natural way
For plastic surgery wealthy people to plastic surgeons huge sums of cash pay
Money speaks every language as some like to say
But it will not buy you back your lost youthful elan
Or even guarantee you a longer life span.

Human Thinking Too Has Borders

Through d n a samples extinct species will live again some scientists do say
But any heed to such a theory i for one do not pay
Human thinking too has borders it does seem this way
The dodo is long dead and as dead it will stay
Extinction is forever though with that some may not agree
But at least anyhow that is how it seems to me
That scientists can create life out of long extinct life forms though great some of them are
Even for them it does seem that one step too far
Of learning from Nature some insights into her workings we gain
But her secrets are many and that fact does remain
Humans who have caused much extinction damage done cannot repair
But to blame every human being for such would seem a bit unfair
Since most damage to the natural environment caused by the greedy few
One might say to that tell us something that's new.

At St Brigid's

In St Brigid's at Crossley 'tis candles by candle light
Where the old church does echo to the strains of Silent Night
And other famous Christmas songs that refuse to fade away
On a pleasant December evening four sleeps from Christmas Day

The M C for the evening the renowned singer songwriter Shane Howard
With the gifts of song and music one who has been empowered
He sang and played guitar and introduced the singers and musicians some of the regions best
And no shortage of great talent in Victoria's South West

Around eight thirty at the arrival in St Brigid's of the ageless Santa Claus
There was clapping and singing and prolonged loud applause
Waving as he walked up the aisle in his red cap and red suit and long beard as white as snow
How old is Father Christmas would anybody know?

In kisses, hugs and handshakes friends each other did greet
On a pleasant get together where friends and families meet
In St Brigid's Church at Crossley 5 k's from Koroit Town
Just off of the quiet Crossley Road where few cars and trucks pass up and down

People of different generations young and old and in their prime
At St Brigid's Church in Crossley were having a good time
At carols by candle light four sleeps from Christmas Day
Such a beautiful occasion in the memory sure to stay.

A Troubled Old World

A troubled old World the Human World of today
News of war and mass death by violence from lands far away
In war zones where many are maimed for life and many die young
Their remains in mass graves the forgotten unsung
So tragic is war and the great sorrow it does bring
The dark side of humanity can be an evil thing
So many due to war poor, stateless and hungry and living in fear
One can only hope that the years 2012 will be a more peaceful year
Than in the past decade of warring and terrorism and civil strife
Where war criminals showed no respect for human life
Lets hope the the year 2012 less wars with it will bring
And of the praises of peace more people will sing
And that the friend of today was yesterday's foe
Is that asking a bit much one would not hope so.

For Me Penning Of Rhyme

I am in my mid sixties with little money to my name
But for that i only have myself for to blame
I had my money making opportunities but i left them go by
In some ways i feel a failure that i will not deny

For many years i've been addicted to rhyme
I penned my first verses when in my life's prime
In time i'm going back thirty eight years ago
The biological clock becomes everyone's foe

With so little money and a stranger to fame
For me penning of rhyme 'a hungry belly game'
My best years in life to the forever gone
I must be addicted for to keep penning on

When in it for me no financial gain
Suppose addictions  until death with us does remain
And suppose i will be rhyming till the day i do die
If i did tell you different that would be a lie

For many years i have been a rhyming buff
And i am one of those who has penned heaps of stuff
But i do enjoy doing it is all i can say
And what i enjoy doing why should i give away.

Worry

Though you have plenty of things for to worry about
Worries in your life you are better off without
Since worry like weeds can grow out of control
And on your mental and physical health take it's toll
Where worry does live you will not find happiness
Only anxiety that give rise to heart problems through stress
To your physical and mental health you become your own foe
Due to worry the sibling of mental stress and woe
Due to heart attack through worry wealthy people at a young age have died
Whilst some find a way out of life through suicide
Though the praises of money the majority may sing
Money can buy you a lot but not everything
It can give rise to worry the sibling of stress
And bring to your life unwelcome unhappiness.

In Your Ways And Your Thinking

In your ways and your thinking you seem different from me
And on that we are very different i have to agree
We seem to have little in common to share
But between people this not unusual or not even rare

Our different ways make us more interesting some are known to say
And from each other most of us look at life in a different way
Like the Athenian loves Athens and the Roman loves Rome
In the company of like minded people one does feel at home

Your opinion on most matters different to mine
But you do own your thinking and that suits me fine
We have little to talk about when we do meet
Just a hello in passing in the park or on the street

Your ways and your thinking are quite different to mine
And in like minded company you wine and you dine
From your sort of thinking apart i have grown
But like it is said suppose to each their own.

'Tis True About Love

Great empires do rise and great empires do fall
And the greats of human history left to historians to recall
But no act of kindness is ever too small
For 'tis true about love that it does conquer all
Those with love in them to give are lucky people indeed
And of more of their kind the Human World is in need
That love leads to compassion and kindness happens to be true
The fruits of the karma we sow are our due
In a Human World of love wars would never take place
And there would be equality of gender and equality of race
Self centredness the sibling of mistrust leads to division and it would seem fair to say
That they are far too much of such things in the Human World of today
Those with love in them to give are of the enlightened few
Though to that you may say tell us something that is new.

Since Like Them

Since like them one day i am destined to die
Are the creatures i eat less mortals than i
Many of them die young to feed us whilst we multiply
Does right to life only to the human kind Apply?
Humans through engineering, science and technology have achieved greatness and we are led to believe soon
That earthlings will migrate to planets beyond the moon
But from the reaper of lives no place for us to hide
That death is part of life ought not to be denied
For the human kind three score and ten years is the average life span
By a few years most women do outlive the man
And though the positive legacy of some great people for centuries live on
After the very last breath of life from them has gone
The achievements of their successful lives we may well celebrate
But they were born as mortals like the creatures they ate.

In The high Wooded Country

The harsh grating cries of white sulphur crested cockatoos
And the familiar voices of the dark brown weerloos
In the high wooded country from here far away
If only in fancy i am back there today
Where with eyes to the ground clinging to trunk of tree
The eastern yellow robins birds one often does see
On the look out for ground insects or smaller crawling prey
In their yellow breasts and wings and back of bluish grey
The kookaburras amongst the first birds to wake
In the dark of the morning just before daybreak
Their loud cackling laughter their territorial song
Once heard you will never again get them wrong
The memories of such marvellous beauty remain
Where in fancy i often do visit again.

When You Are At Your Lowest

Even for the words to describe your predicament you are stuck
Without any money and down on your luck
When you are at your lowest you are on your own
Where are they when you need them the friends you have known?
They were your drinking mates in the local bar
When you are in financial trouble you know who your friends are
When your financial circumstances changed out of your life they did disappear
Things can hardly be any worse for you next year
That your ex friends only liked you for who you were you have come to realize
In hindsight it does seem one becomes more wise
Your friends of the past are not your friends today
When you meet them on the street they look the other way
Like every other poor sad sack of the town
You know who your friends are when you are financially down.

Being A Celebrity

Being a celebrity does not make for a good person as a good person may never know of fame
Just an ordinary individual that few people do know by name
Yet one who is only too willing to help one of help quite in need
Such a person is well worth admiring and a great individual indeed
The people who make the news headlines whose praises the masses does sing
Many of them in ways far from good people fame to kindness and compassion is a different thing
Those enamoured with the lives of the famous must not have lives of their own
I know of a few very good people and they are not even well known
The masses are the worst of judges big egos they only inflate
The caring and kind quiet achievers are people few do celebrate
Stories  of the celebrated and famous newspapers and magazines sell
Some good people i know never even make the local paper though they serve their community well
They are the unsung quiet achievers  not even well known on their side of the town
They help many in need of helping yet remain as strangers to renown.

In This Beautiful Place

The sun it is shining on Nature's green face
I do feel at home in this beautiful place
The birds chirp and sing on the bushes and trees
And brown butterflies dance in the freshening breeze
That gently blow in the park in the town by the bay
So good to be living on such a nice day
In temperatures perfect around twenty degrees
The buzzings of flies  and nectar gathering bees
The park lush and green after recent summer rain
About such nice weather you will not hear me complain
Utopia on earth cannot be far away
From this beautiful place on this beautiful day
Were i a poet  of this great beauty i would write
A poem for lovers of poetry to enjoy and read and recite.

Bill From Swan Hill

A gentle enough sort of a fellow is Bill
He first saw light of day in the Town of Swan Hill
Twenty six years old and partnered a likeable bloke in his own pleasant way
At the peak of his life's prime one of him might say
The freeways of Australia he drives up and down
Between cities distant from his original hometown
Delivering freight a big heavy truck he drives through the night
His face to the roadhouse owners a familiar sight
Though mostly a fellow of no fixed abode
He lives in Richmond in Victoria when he is not on the road
In the home of his dark haired lover the beautiful Ann
She has fallen in love with the truck driving man
Pregnant with his child she's expecting in May
True love does not have borders as some like to say.

You Will Not Please Them All

At his funeral service his eulogy was read
And by family and friends kind things of him were said
His praises were sung and tears for him were shed
He now rests in peace in his dark earthy bed
But some who worked for him of him do have different to say
Respect to his memory they never would pay
To them he was not loyal to his workers a selfish, ruthless man
And some of them even begrudged him his lengthy life span
Survived by his children, grandchildren and their children and his sixth wife
At ninety six years one who lived a long life
Different views of the man he was those who knew him recall
You may well please some but you will not please them all
Suppose this is how it is and it always will be
The great person to you may not be so to me

Why Tell Me About It

Why tell me about it when i know all too well
That everyone have their own life story to tell
The happier times we may like to recall
But the up and down days known to most if not all

Old Jim at the pub likes to talk of the day
When for him there was a huge loud hip hooray
When at the regional track and field championships he raced to renown
In the four hundred metres final to become the toast of the town

The man who proved himself in many a test
Never mentions the times when he was second best
The man has grown older but his ego intact
It is a thing that age does not weary and this is a fact

Why tell me about it when i know it is true
That the Karma in life we receive is our due
On such a matter you talk to the converted when talking to me
For this is how it is and it always will be

Why tell me about it since i already know
That from others respect do not expect to receive if respect to them you do not show
Though to the one you do fear you may say you are my friend
There are times in our lives when we have to pretend

Why tell me about it since i know all too well
That we will never hear our own funeral bell
It is a fact of life and fact never lie
That we are born as mortals and all mortals must die.

One Of The Have Nots

One who never looks to the future he only lives from day to day
For him life is such a great battle his hair prematurely gray
On his next birthday he will be forty just a decade beyond his prime
One who cannot talk of the good days for him never an easy time
His only offspring his sixteen years old daughter lives with her step dad and her mum his ex wife
He lives in a basement bedsit alone in his miserable life
He works hard for three days a week in a processing factory for what is quite ordinary pay
The gap between the haves and the have nots growing wider that does seem sad to have to say
With little money for socializing till bedtime he watches t v
He has a few beers at the weekend he never does drink more than three
One of the have nots of the World at the wrong side of the social divide
He pays his way never beg, steal or borrow one might say of him he has pride
To him life is a prolonged battle although to better himself he does try
And that life is not meant to be easy to him surely has to apply.

An Honorable Man

He never had in him the lust for wander and he has never wished to go to live elsewhere
He has never been in a big city or seen any of the bigger world out there
He has never had a female or a male lover going by what those who have known him for decades say
And he remains as he was much a loner over time he has not changed in any way
He lives on his own one in his early fifties wakes early for work every working day
An honest person who minds his own business and one who works hard for his every pay
Does not go to the church or watch sports on the t v does not go to parties or does not socialize
Does not have a religious belief but he is an avid reader and in the ways of the world he is knowledgeable and wise
One might say to most that he is very different and to most he looks at life quite differently
But to you who say that he is a strange person is he in any way stranger than you or me?
Perhaps in most ways he is better than us in his words he never puts others down
Having that said if everyone were like him there would not be any pubs or cafes in the town
Like all of us he may be far from perfect but to live a good life he does the best he can
And it would be a crime free World if everyone were like him for he is quite an honorable man.

Since I've Never Been One

Since i've never been one for to take a dare
Any stories of self bravery i do not have to share
As some do with friends when they do socialize
As is said by the wise 'shut mouth never catch flies'
I do feel that such advice does serve me well
Since of any acts of bravery on my behalf  i do not have to tell
A good run is always better than a bad stand has always been my way
Perhaps one reason i am healthy and living today
Fortune favours the brave as some are known to say
Though many for their extreme acts of bravery with their lives had to pay
Though of stories of great bravery one often does hear
One secret to a healthy and long life is of death to live in fear
Since i have never risked my life for God or Country
Fortune favours the brave does not apply to me.

In Duhallow Today

Somethings never change as some are known to say
It is wet, windy and cold in Duhallow today
The sky of December clouded over and gray
And cattle in farm shed bellow for silage or hay

The song thrush doesn't sing on bare deciduous tree
It is raining in Cullen and in Knocknagree
The Allow in Kanturk bank high in flood waters of brown
And it is raining in Newmarket and Meelin and in Millstreet Town

In Duhallow's winter weather little reason for cheer
News of flooding in Kilcorney, Rathcoole and Banteer
No winter sunshine where skies are never clear
In Duhallow it is an indoors time of year

Cold and wet in Rockchapel, Kiskeam and in Boherbue
Likewise in Dromtarriffe and in Derrinagree
Weatherwise from Lyre or Castlemagner no good news to report
In Duhallow in Winter not a good time for games or for outdoor sport

Where the rain driven gales often blow themselves tame
Weatherwise in Duhallow every Winter the same
Mushera, Clara and Caherbarnagh in their hats of snow
And Finnow to the Blackwater bank high does flow.

On Reading Callanan's 'The Recluse Of Inchydoney'

The poem 'The Recluse Of Inchydoney' of years has lived a two centuries span
Written by a famous County Cork poet his name Was J J Callanan
He died in his early thirties in Lisbon in Portugal where he had gone for health mending sunshine
As a poet and a gaelic translator  one of the last of the true bardic line

His immortal poem 'Gougane Barra' i loved even as a schoolboy
The music in his rhyming verses a thing of beauty to read and enjoy
He was a person who loved Nature his poems on them do not have a use by date
Inspired by his Cork rural surroundings such beauty in words he did create

Since he died in 1829 many Seasons in time have gone
The beauty in his words is living and his legend in death living on
In the World now many not like him and perhaps none in Cork or Cork County today
Even in his time true bards were not many and that does seem a fair thing to say

On reading Callanan's 'The Recluse Of Inchydoney' it took me to places far away
To Clara and to Caherbarnagh places i loved in a bygone day
The poet who died and was buried in Lisbon in Portugal in the year of eighteen twenty nine
Where he had gone for warmer weather in hope of health mending sunshine.

What Care I

What care i if i'm not of literary note
If i am not worthy of the title of poet
I write for enjoyment that and nothing more
I only say here what i have said before
I penned my first rhymes by old hills far away
In a place where i might be a stranger today
I am going back in years near four decades in time
To when i was younger and in my life's prime
I pen simple stuff that is easy to write
And easy to read, memorize and recite
Some tell me i ought to give rhyming away
But to advice i don't like any heed i don't pay
I do enjoy rhyming of that i won't lie
And i hope to be doing it till the day i do die.

At The Bluehole

At the Bluehole near Warrnambool the Hopkins crawls dark, silent and slow
Where into the pacific sea it does flow
A river that has inspired story and rhyme
That was even old in the dinosaur time
Where the first Australians fished and had their corroborees
Long before Cook's arrival going back centuries
When the Bluehole was known by some other name
But time does bring change and few things stay the same
In the gathering twilight just after sundown
At the Bluehole a few miles from Warrnambool Town
Peaceful and silent save for the Pacific's roar
As the huge white surf waves splash up on the southern shore
A memory for years to cherish and retain
And to visit again and again and again.

Motherly Advice

I recall as a boy my mum said to me son
I will not feel proud of you if you ever harm anyone
Just live as your dad does as an honest hard working man
And anyone in need of helping do help if you can
To my mother's advice i try to live true
In life we receive the Karma that to us is due
And in life if you do not give do not expect to receive
On such a philosophy i do believe
It was good advice that my mum to me gave
She died years before dad died they now share the same grave
From such words of wisdom life insights we gain
And true to her wishes for me i do hope to remain
Till the Reaper of Lives claims the life's breath from me
On some future night or day whenever that will be.

Jim Ed Huston

Known as the Waterford Lumberjack the man from Lismore
In Irish pubs and clubs for him many a rapturous encore
His name Jim Ed Huston one famed and widely known
Through years of travel and entertaining his reputation has grown

As a country singer few better than him
Not many country fans would not have heard of the talented Jim
From Ballyduff near Lismore he has travelled many miles away
Worked as a Lumberjack in Canada and a travelling entertainer in the U S of A

In Britain and in Ireland in the country music scene
He is loved by many as a true evergreeen
With the lovers of country his talents he does share
Sad to think that his kind are now becoming rare

The great gifts of song and music is a marvellous thing
On the World Wide Web i love hearing him sing
A well travelled fellow the decades he span
One can say of Jim Ed he's no ordinary man

Sad to say  characters like Jim Ed have become a dying breed
Of many more of his kind the Human World is in need
Wherever he is at happiness does abound
He carries joy with him and spreads it around.

Love Has Two Sides To It

Of the praises of love's joy and pleasure many known for to sing
But the flip side of love can be a sorrowful thing
The sad feeling of lost love can linger for years
Sometimes what begins in laughter can finish in tears
A well known quote that i can recall
Better to have known love and lost than never know love at all
Though some with such a philosophy may not agree
Lost love can be hurtful as the word can be
Doubtless love can be beautiful even absolute bliss
The passion of the joy and the pleasure in the first post meeting kiss
Love has more than one side to it why otherwise pretend
What begins in joy sometimes in tears has been known for to end
Love has two sides to it and it has always been this way
But then such is life as some do like to say.

Yes Money Speaks Every Language

Doesn't matter your color, religion, gender or race
If you are short of money your's is a low social place
Those who say money speaks every language are speaking the truth
For those who are short of money know about lack of ruth
Of the praises of a pauper the masses never sing
For to live short of money it is not a nice thing
Poor with empty pockets on the poor side of the town
You know who your friends are when you are financially down
In a Human World where those short of money do not seem to count
Talk of egalatarianism is just rhetoric and to nothing amount
Of the existence of a life after death none have come back to tell
But for some there is an earthly heaven and for many there's an earthly hell
Yes money speaks every language with that i agree
This is how it is and it always will be.

The Extraordinary Young Man

The extraordinary young man in the ordinary town
His escape from reality his daydreams of renown
An International rock star the fans chant his name
A feel good feeling for him his imaginary fame
A good imagination is a marvellous thing
The rock loving rock fans his praises do sing
They do beg of him for to sing them some more
He sings one more song in a rapturous encore
To escape from his reality this is his way
He entertains his masses of fans every day
His teenage girl fans in excitement do scream
He escapes from his reality in his every day-dream
A vivid imagination his key to success and renown
The extraordinary young man in the ordinary town.

But Then Such Is Life

They raised three children two girls and a boy
And for awhile they knew love and married life did enjoy
But last July their marriage fiftieth anniversary they did not celebrate
In their life's calendar just another date
Out of love though living under the one roof for three decades or more
Love and happiness lasted in their marriage of years perhaps a score
For years she has had her own lover does things her own way
For him being unfaithful to her the price he must pay
With seven grandchildren and time on them ticking on
In their early seventies the best years of their lives to the forever gone
For years they have not made love or slept together though under the one roof they live
For his infidelities him she did not forgive
Not all things in married life does go to plan
He has his own mistress she has her own man
Living under the one roof but not as man and wife
And barely on speaking terms but then such is life.

A Man From Duhallow

I have seen a bit of the World though many have seen more of it than me
But a man from Duhallow is all i can be
Duhallow far north of here as the migrant bird fly
In distance by air thousands of miles of sky
From there perhaps i have been too long away
In Duhallow i may feel a stranger today
I have not seen the Boggeraghs for twenty five years
Though for my past memories i've shed all of my tears
Far south of where i grew into a man and lived in my life's prime
I am feeling the wear of the passage of time
My fastest pace nowadays to most rather slow
The years on us all do eventually show
From the Boggeragh ranges many miles away
Far south of Duhallow i may live my last day.

Where Are They Today

The joy in your laughter the woe in your tears
The memories remain of the long bygone years
And the old streets you often did walk up and down
Full of youthful elan in the far away town

The boys and girls you went to school with where are they today?
All of them showing the ageing signs of time's decay
Some of them are deceased and in eternal rest lay
Time catches up on us since life is this way

Some of them are childless some of them never wed
Some of them are grandparents and sedentary lives have led
Some of them from the hometown in miles living far
How different in our ways everyone of us are

On looking back the years it does not seem long ago
To the days when you thought time would never become your foe
Time that does rust iron has left you walking slow
And the young person into an old person grow

Like the flowers of the Spring we are born to die
The same for the celebrity as for you and i
And when you think of the past to yourself do you say
The friends of my young years where are they today?

To Say I Am Not A Rhymer

For many years i have been a rhyming buff
And i've written what some in their wisdom refer to as stuff
The people who can boast of their literary degrees
And for their literary lectures and workshops do command high fees

As a rhymer i will never be one to the fore
I just write for enjoyment that and nothing more
I used to daydream of better things on days gone by
But the title of poet to me does not apply

The bug of the rhymer has followed me south
And always so much for me to write about
With words i am a fellow who does like to play
I am one who does pen a few rhymes every day

To say i am not a rhymer would be telling a lie
Still i hope to be rhyming till the day i do die
In my young years i daydreamed i might be a poet
Though i never became one of literary note.

For My Years

In wisdom and knowledge for my years i have little to show
And so little about life i can claim to know
Though we never stop learning as some like to say
And life has new lessons for us every day
Age does not always bring wisdom i have come to realize
As i do know a few young people who for their years are quite wise
And i know some who are ageing that wisdom has passed by
That wisdom comes with age to them does not apply
We learn from our mistakes as we are often told
But as for me i still make mistakes though i am getting old
And though some more than others have in them the power to discern
In life every day for us a new lesson to learn
But perhaps for to learn i must be rather slow
Since for my years in knowledge and wisdom i have little to show.

I Would Rather Be Living Than Dead

Yesterday has gone to the forever like the Autumn leaves borne by the flooded stream
And of a happy and lucky tomorrow is all we can wish for to dream
Happy and sad memories we have of what has been to live in us until we die
As Shaw said life is not meant to be easy in that he was not telling a lie
Life for many has it's joys and it's sorrows suppose that's how it is meant to be
And though financially i am a poor bloke there are many far worse off than me
I could have been a victim of war or famine destined for to become a refugee
The people who live in fear of torture who know of extreme poverty
I have no reason to be complaining compared to many i do okay
I have never been stateless or homeless or never gone hungry a day
Yes compared to many i am quite lucky i should not be one to complain
I've never had to sleep or to live rough and i've never known of real hunger pain
Yesterday has gone to the forever and better days may be ahead
And though life may not be meant to be easy i would rather be living than dead.

Those We Ought To Fear

Any government should not have nuclear weapons that's how it seems to me
Though with such an opinion many may not agree
Uranium is a thing that should be left in the ground
Even for nuclear power it can be risky in nuclear reactors danger abound
Those with nuclear weapons at their disposal are those we ought to fear
And to a war between nuclear powers we have never been as near
One nuclear bomb can kill millions of people and reduce a great city to dust
Those with weapons of destruction are not worthy of our trust
Those who have weapons of mass destruction to the cause of peace cannot be true
Such people not worthy of our trust and respect though they believe such is their due
Even democratically elected governments such weapons should never possess
I fear and mistrust them and me they fail to impress
One act of aggression and a World Nuclear War could begin
A war that billions would die in and that no one would win.

In Life

In life i have made a few friends and i am not one without a foe
And my past it seems to follow me to wherever i do go
Success in life it does seem is a relative thing
Though only the praises of celebrities some do see fit to sing

The ups and downs of living life like most others i have known
But my problems are of my own making and what is mine i own
Many others far worse off than me so why should i complain
And grumbling of your lot in life new friends for you don't gain

So many people doing it tough in the Human World of today
And many far too many working for poverty line pay
And many becoming poorer for every new millionaire
Of the hardship the poor must endure most of the wealthy not aware

Compared to some i may seem poor but many far worse off than me
I am not homeless or stateless and i am not a refugee
Yes many far worse off than me that does seem sad to say
And the gap between the haves and the have nots keeps on widening every day.

On The Passing Of Margaret Reen

Her passing must have reduced many to tears
The woman who lived for a century of years
A good mother to her children and to the late Frank Reen a good wife
In Millstreet Town she had lived for the most of her long life

Some four hundred Seasons of life she had seen
Few live for to be as old as Margaret Reen
Lived through two World Wars when times were quite tough
In life's every challenge one who proved good enough

Since we are mere mortals death is for us all
For each one of us there is a final Fall
What matter most Margaret lived as a good person never harmed anyone
And a whole pile of good in the World she done

To the memory of such a good person respect one must pay
For to help others out she went out of her way
Gone from Millstreet but not forgotten her beautiful face
Without her the Town seems a much poorer place

For each one of us there's a last night and day
By Cashman's Hill in St Mary's her last remains lay
Hope from life that she did have a painless release
The beautiful Margaret may she now rest in peace.

Mother Nature Is The Greatest

Never any shortage of things in Nature for to talk or write about
When day creatures seek night shelter the night creatures do come out
From their burrows and dark places where they hide from lamp of day
Both nocturnal and diurnal creatures born to live in their own way
Nature has her many wonders and her secrets are not few
And we are always learning from her something to us that is new
She's the World's greatest creator all of her life forms born to die
Though to the billions of the god fearing such a statement is a lie
Nature is the very greatest she's the one who feeds us all
From the great mammals of the sea to the smallest of the small
She feeds seven billion human beings on her for life we do depend
Yet we never seem to treat her as we would our greatest friend
Mother Nature is the greatest her bounty with us all she does share
Her creative powers amazing with her there's none to compare.

Were You Ever At A Party

Were you ever at a party where you did feel out of place
Where you did feel an outsider and your's was a stranger's face
Where with those at the table you sat little in common you did share
Your experience not unusual and to say the least not rare

They seemed educated people sophisticated and well read
And they were talking of a subject that seemed way above your head
Something that did not interest you not one little bit at all
This is not the sort of party years from now you will recall

Every day in life a challenge always for us some new test
On what to you  is a boring conversation you pretend to show interest
To excuse yourself and leave early does not seem proper so in their company you stay
Though every second spend with them seems a minute time does slowly tick away

You shake hands with them in parting with an inner sense of delight
Though you tell them how interesting you have helped to make my night
You feel glad that it is over such is life as some do say
In life there is some new challenge that we must face every day.

A Rod For My Own Mind

To self improvement by them for years i've been denied
Yet for my negative feelings of self i have nowhere to hide
My own praises i cannot bring myself to sing
Though in the twenty first century with many this is a popular thing
Yes self promotion for many are the buzz words of the day
And bigger fool me for not seeing it in this way
Into poor opinion of self i've been for too long inclined
It must have been my catholic upbringing that has screwed up my mind
And though a belief in the existence of a god i no longer retain
The theological lessons of my young years in my subconscious remain
Words such as be humble at all times and self never promote
And never feel you are one who deserves to be worthy of note
I know all too well old habits are hard to break
A rod for my own mind as a child i did make.

Your True Friend

Any arguments they've had they do leave to the past
A true friendship a human lifetime does last
Since only in death a strong friendship does end
Your true friend despite friendship trials will remain as your friend,
Friends over business deals do fall out and disagree
But they were never true friends that's how it seems to be
Since breach of trust over money is not the true friendship way
That your true friends are rare does seem fair to say
To say you have many acquaintances is not saying what is new
Feel glad for your true friends for your true friends are few
The trust you have in them they would never betray
Your true friend as your friend a whole lifetime does stay
Financially broke on the poor side of the town
Your true friend will come to your aid when you are feeling down.

Company C E O's

The huge companies they work for pay them millions to trim the workforce and keep the overheads down
The millionaire C E O's from the wealthy side of the town
About the futures of the employees they make redundant they do not seem to care
Their companies every year many millions in wages they do spare
C E O's who make their millions in a dirty sort of a way
Are generally not the nicest of people that does seem fair to say
Thanks to their kind the monetary gap between the haves and the have nots increasing by the day
Suppose this is how it is and how it will stay
For as long as in the Human World there is monetary greed
There will be some with far too much money and many in financial need
C E O's in the most part quite greedy and insensitive suppose this is their way
To make up the Human World it takes all kind as some like to say
For creating unemployment they receive thousands in an annual raise
From company bosses the best sort of praise.

A Long Way North Of Here

A long way north of here to fields near Millstreet Town
Where i penned my first rhymes when my hair was dark brown
Where from the high country by night and by day
Old Finnow to the Blackwater babbles on it's way

On my flights of fancy i hear the birds sing
In leafy groves of Millstreet on evenings in Spring
When the hawthorns are in their blooms of white to gray
And the old fields are wearing their flowers of the May

Where i grew to love Nature when i was a boy
And learning of her ways i still do enjoy
I still can memorize the babble of the rill
On it's way to the river from the field by the hill

And the song of the robin to foretell of rain
Old memories do visit me time and again
Where mine to many locals was a well known face
In Millstreet in Duhallow in my first homeplace

And for as long as the gift of memory with us remain
Old memories of what was are ours to retain
On Spring nights the male snipe with his wings and tail makes a goat like cry
As above the bogland on a courtship dispaly he does fly

In Claragahtlea in Millstreet in Duhallow my life's journey began
Though far south of there i do age as a man
And the memories of far places live on in me
Of Seasons long gone and of what used to be.

Old Fred

Old Fred looking well for one of ninety three
And few of his age looking healthy as he
Though his once brown hair it is now silver gray
And clearly he has known a far better day
His lover brown eyed Susan is seventy one
She says pairing with Fred the best thing in life she has done
He may be old enough for to be my dad
But he's the best lover that i've ever had
Old Fred never married though he had a son Stan
One of those who did not make it home from the war in Vietnam
Outlived by his dad a World War 2  veteran decorated for bravery
Who still is going well at nine decades and three
His seventy one years old lover Susan is in love with her Fred
She says for his age he is some man in bed.

The Rockchapel Migrant

Every evening he walks with his wife and their teenage daughter on the beach at Lady Bay
A bloke in his late forties his hair silver gray
From his first homeplace in Duhallow many miles away
Though he may feel a stranger in Rockchapel today

In Duhallow he was born and raised and went to primary school
Though 'twas the lust of the wander that brought him south to Warrnambool
Lack of work in his migration also had a say
He has settled in Warrnambool for the long stay

With a beautiful daughter and a lovely brown haired Aussie wife
The Rockchapel migrant is happy in his life
Though happy in Warrnambool the memories remain
Of a place he once loved that he may not see again

He left his first homeplace when he was nineteen
And some of the big world since then he has seen
And he may feel a stranger in Rockchapel today
His first homeplace far north of old Lady Bay.

Most Know Where

Most know where their life's journey began but do not know where it will end
Since none can look into the future why otherwise pretend
Though some claim to have physic powers and say they can see what of us is ahead
Nostradamus could as we have been told though he is for centuries dead
If there is or is not a life after death it is not for me to say
Though i believe i will be forever dead when i've lived my last day
But what is real to you may not be so to me
As on most things most people not known to agree
That we are born as mortals is surely not a lie
Since life's journey does end and one day we must die
Yes must die like the earth worm that lives in earth and clay
For all of us there is a last night and day
An average of seventy years for a woman and a few years less for a man
Even the longest lived human life in time not a long span.

The Enlightened One

If you look for sorrow joy you will not find
Since darkness does always cloud light from your mind
This is what the enlightened one often does say
In his thoughts on life he's heading the right way
The happy go lucky have a rare gift indeed
And far more of their kind in the Human World we do need
Wherever they are happiness is to be found
They carry joy with them and spread it around
The cheer to a gathering that humor does bring
For laughter it is such a wonderful thing
Laugh and the world laughs with you weep and you weep alone
There isn't much mirth in the heart of a stone
The enlightened one surely does have it right
When he says where there is darkness there cannot be light.

On Summer's First Day

For almost every word there's another word to rhyme
And so much to write on and so little time
For to write on things we see and hear every day
Since the clock on our lives does keep ticking away
It is true enough rhymes are quite easy to write
And easy to memorize and to recite
On the first day of December and Summer the birds chirp and sing
I hope to be living to see in next Spring
Since so many Seasons i've been privileged to see
And even on the length of life for the young there is no guarantee
Many people dying of different causes years younger than me
Suppose like the words in the old song what will be will be
The sun it is shining in clouds blue and gray
In quite pleasant weather on Summer's first day.

The Favourite Can Be Beaten

His backers cheered loudly when he won the marvellous outsider
He hugged the rails at every bend the others raced out wider
He raced on to the winning line as if he were a rocket
The favourite backers feeling sad for they were out of pocket
The favourite does not always win and to the winner goes the glory
And when the rank outsider races to victory it makes for a good story
But the favourite connections and backers left to count their monetary losses
For those who like to gamble life can have it's financial crosses
The favourite finished in fourth place in racing he met with trouble early
But on the night it can be said the rank outsider he won fairly
At odds of twenty five to one the bookmakers were celebrating
What can be the cause for joy for some to others can be deflating
The favourite can be beaten but what makes for a better story
Is when the rank outsider hits the front and races on to glory.

In The Southern Antarctic

It is said that in the Antarctic only fungi does grow
Though they ought to tell us something we do not know
About the planet's coldest land from anywhere far away
Where a person could only live for a brief stay
Yet in the cold waters of the Antarctic some fish and mammals and birds are known for to thrive
Many life forms do well where humans could not hope to survive
Us humans who outlive most species to die frail and old
Could not hope to live for long periods of time in extreme heat or cold
And though some talk of living in universal planets elsewhere
In the icy Antarctic humans cannot live there
The most successful life form on Planet Earth us humans may be
Though unprotected in extreme weather temperatures we would perish quickly
But in the Southern Antarctic where the icy winds blow
Some life forms known to thrive in the great land of snow.

In A Human World Of Love

That love can lead to peace it well may be so
But you do make a friend of the foe of your foe
Amongst each other we play politics every day
It is what is often referred to as the games people play
With those who tell us that war leads to peace i for one don't agree
Since after the war the one you waged war on remains your enemy
But in a human world of love peace would take pride of place
And those of compassion and understanding would be leaders in the human race
In a human world of kindness and love and compassion we would be led by the just
We would not know of war the legacy of hatred and mistrust
The war supposed to end all wars was fought some nine decades ago
But we still make a friend of our enemy's foe
In a human world of love this never would be
Though with what i say here many would disagree.

Beside My Neighbour Sorrow

Beside my neighbour sorrow a vigil i do keep
It is not an unmanly thing to hear an old man weep
For lost youth and for lost love in memory only to be found
Happiness is always absent where sadness is around

Beside my neighbour sorrow i do feel close to tears
He weeps for happy memories lost in the bygone years
He is feeling frail and older his better years long gone
The old clock of the reaper on his life ticking on

All alone with his memories the old tunes of the past
Bring back a glimpse of happier times that sadly did not last
Of the one he loved and often danced with who died in her life's prime
Leaving him with memories of her that does not fade in time

Beside my neighbour sorrow i have come to realize
That it is not an unmanly thing to see tears in an old man's eyes
The old tunes on the radio take him to the long ago
And memories of the happier days in him stir tears of woe.

The Last Bard Of The Southern Grampians

The last bard of the Southern Grampians is more than a local poet
Beyond the borders of his home shire he is known as one of literary note
His gifts with the wider world he is happy to share
A poet of the people and his kind are quite rare

The last bard of the Southern Grampians eighty on his last birthday
The years on him are taking toll his balding head is gray
But every day he is writing another ballad, poem or song
South West Victoria's Laureate the title to him does belong

Doubtless he is a natural that he was born to write
Often at literary gatherings some of his poems he does recite
For many years and decades one to the poetic fore
He has been the recipient of many an encore

The last bard of the Southern Grampians his best years may be gone
But he's  still writing verses and he keeps on keeping on
He is far more than local he is a famous poet
Far beyond the borders of his home shire known as one of literary note.

Leeches

On the wet grass after rain you better watch out
For the little dark leeches are crawling about
For to get some of your blood to your legs they will cling
Whilst not life threatening to play host to leeches is not a pleasant thing
For whatever reason your blood they do need
And when they've drunk their fill the puncture mark on your skin does slightly bleed
In damp and warm weather they seem to multiply
And attach themselves to any legs to where they are nearby
If you happen to see one you are on leech infested ground
For they are not scarce in large numbers they abound
In that spot do not tarry from there move quickly away
For to play host to leeches will not make your day
On the wet grass after rain the dark leeches are out
On their search for a blood host they are crawling about.

You Will Not Please Everyone

By love and by kindness respect can be won
But though hard you may try you will not please everyone
For there is always a few who of you will say
That you must be a fool to go out of your way
For to help one in need without reward or pay
Some will tell you that fools they are born every day
Some people in the promotion of self do only believe
They do not understand that in life you must give to receive
The people who suffer of darkness of mind
For to make up humanity it does take every kind
You may be the most giving person in the town
Always trying to help people who are feeling down
But there are always the few who of you will say
That only a fool would do anything without asking for pay.

It Does Not Cost Us Money

It does not cost us money it is absolutely free
The greatest beauty in the world we do not pay to see
The unrivalled beauty she possess a beauty beyond compare
Our Earth Goddess Mother Nature with us does freely share
Today the birds are singing in the woodland nearby
Many of nature's creatures we get to know by their chirp or song or cry
The Earth that feeds the billions of the world's human family
Supports every life form from the humble worm to the tallest tree
The greatest things in life are free as some are known to say
For to view the beauty Nature creates we do not have to pay
Mother Nature the great creator in death creates life every day
The wood louse born in rotting wood known to thrive on decay
Wildflowers bloom in the sunshine a lovely sight to see
To view the greatest beauty in the world is free to you and me.

In A Decade From Now

In a decade from now if i'm living to many i will seem an old man
But if i am to die tomorrow of life i will have enjoyed a good span
Of many so many young people who were destined to die young
the balladeers may sing their praises but i'd rather die old and unsung
Than to be remembered for decades as one who died in their life's prime
Were i dead i could not serve any purpose i would not be writing this rhyme
So here's to life and all of it's feelings the sadness the joy and the stress
A gift by chance that i've been granted but the greatest gift i do possess
The deceased are beyond all feeling for them no more laughter or tears
For them no more good or bad memories they cannot look back on past years
I feel grateful that i am still living though my better years are long gone
And i hope the reaper will give me some more time for i'm one who wants to live on
To hear the birds sing in the woodland on a balmy morning in Spring
The great gift of life i am living and life is a wonderful thing.