Sandy

When Nature's winds grow angry death and destruction they create
Sandy arrived in coastal north eastern America feeling irate
And left death and vast damage and tears and heartbreak
During his hours of uncontrollable violence behind him in his  wake

Though feared and uninvited from the ocean he came
And wreaked havoc in parts of a great Nation before blowing himself tame
And returning to his cave in the Universe to die
Whoever believes that there is one mightier than Nature does believe in a lie

His son or his daughter on some future night or day
Will rage from the caves of the winds far away
And cause grief, death and destruction and blow buildings  down
At the height of his or her anger in many a city and town

I've yet to hear mention of Nature as a  super power
Yet the one who gives birth to a beautiful flower
Can also give birth to an angry irrestible force
That shakes and flattens everything in it's course

The citizens band on the streets did not play up and down
For to welcome the arrival of Sandy to town
In his hours of anger he left death and heartbreak
And great buildings looking battered behind him in his wake.

The Ex Shearing Champ

Age has left him grayer and frailer and slow
The three times champion shearer at Warrnambool show
But that is going back some four decades ago
Time eventually does become everyone's foe
The top shearer in every shed that he shore in when in his prime
He has become one more victim of time
Of life  he has lived ten years with three score
And he has not shorn any sheep for six years if not more
Though he has made love to many women he has never had a wife
And  without any children he knows of in his life
His physical best years in life he has known
And it looks like that he will grow old on his own
But he remains partial to his pot of cheer
He still has got a  very strong liking for beer.

The Seasons To Our Lives

The Seasons to our lives do come and do go
Live as happy as you can be  life  is too short for woe
On how long one  does live is not for one to say
Today in this World may be your last day
Three score and ten years the average human life span
A few years more for the woman than it is for the man
The fact is that humans like  all other lie forms are mortals and fact never lie
Everyday babies are born and everyday people die
Those who live to be a hundred years or more to say the least very few
To that you may say tell us something that is new
Remember when the living breath from you has  gone
That life in the World without you will go on
Since worrying will not make your cares go away
Try to have a good laugh or two every day.

A False Image Of Self

In the promotion of the person often referred to as i
Some people from others will steal and to others will lie
For their own financial gain and their own financial success
A false image of self on others they impress
But what goes around comes around as some like to say
And to Karma for them there will be some price to pay
Poor seed into a good crop never does grow
In life it is said we do reap what we sow
In the deception of others you may have some skill
But if the law does not catch up with you Karma surely will
Though those who perform their good deeds every day
And to help those in need of helping go out of their way
Will receive from life the good things they are due
On such i believe and  hold to be true.

On The Railway Track From Cork To Kerry

On the building of the railway track from Cork to Killarney through the north Cork and  east Kerry countryside
It has been said for every sleeper laid that at least one working man died
In the depths of the Irish Winter in weather wild and wet and cold
On the railway track they died in their thousands they were not meant to grow old

On the railway track from Mallow to Banteer to Millstreet and beyond Rathmore
Young men for meager rations to feed their families every day died by the score
In the famine days in Ireland when the potato crop failed to grow
How many people died of hunger is something we will never know

Why good and decent people die of hunger seems beyond one to explain
For  to feed their own upper class the British out of Ireland took the grain
They had famine too in parts of Britain as historians do recall
Where many people too died of malnutrition down south in Devon and  Cornwall

We need food for  our survival as much as  we need  water and air
The wealthy never die of hunger doesn't life seem so unfair
In the eighteen forties building the railway tracks of Ireland slaving for a pittance pay
Good young men in their thousands died of hunger every day

By wars and droughts that give rise to famine of living resources people denied
Millions of people have died of hunger in Countries Worldwide
But it is always the poor people who suffer in scarcity when times are tough
The wealthy never die of hunger they always have more  than enough

In the Irish potato famine hundreds of thousands of people  died
Young men working for a pittance on the railway track in the green countryside
Weakened from weeks of hunger in  weather wet and windy and cold
On the railway track from Cork to Kerry they were not meant to grow old.

The Good Mother

She says my son is a wonderful fellow but she never says how he is serving time
In the big prison in the big city for what is a serious crime
The bank teller he shot in an armed robbery for many weeks was hospitalized
At that he  has recovered and is again working the  doctors are even surprised

It is true what is said of the mother she always stands by her daughter and son
In public she will never condemn them though serious wrong to another they may have done
Though halfway through a seven year jail term she talks of her wonderful boy
She loves him as he were a great person he remains as her pride and joy

Though her children are not good people and to the police are well known
The good mother she will stand  by them when others them choose to disown
She always will stand by her children and  in her words never put them down
Even though they will never bring honour to their street on their side of the  town

Of her son serving time in prison she only has  good things to say
In his time of  need she stands by him from him she will never turn away
In her eyes he  is a nice person in him she can only see good
That she  should feel this way about him is not hard to be understood.

Billy O' Shea

The years go by quickly as some like to say
One of the strong boys of the  Millstreet Primary School of the late fifties the young Billy O' Shea
Deceased in his mid sixties news of his passing quite sad
He was such a good person in him nothing bad

Born and  raised in Cockhill where he lived most of his life span
Quite shy in his ways  he was such a nice man
As good a person as one could wish for to meet
He will be missed by his family and his friends in Millstreet

The  story of his life in book form deserves to be told
And though he  did not live on for  to die very old
What matters most his mum and dad in him did  raise a good son
He lived  an honorable life never harmed anyone

From Millstreet his  will be a sadly missed face
And without him Cockhill is a far worse off place
Unassuming he  never yearned for Worldly fame
And he never did call anyone out of name

Less than a mile from the schoolyard where with his young friends he did play
By Cashman's Hill in St Mary's his last remains lay
For all of us there will be a last night and day
And good memories will live on of  Billy O' Shea.

For Many Years

For many years i've been a rhymer and for far longer a rhyming buff
One of those addicted to rhyming i have  penned a whole heap of stuff
And yet i am one who does stand for something and that is a fair go for all
And that is a  fair go for everybody i never celebrate another's  downfall
Some people's idea of a fair go is a fair go for their own kind
For to empathize with those different to their own needs and feelings they never seem the least inclined
Their  idea of a fair go is narrow a fair go for themselves and their own
Their idea of the world is a small one  and apart from their sort of thinking i have grown
It is true indeed death does make us equal in death the celebrated and the unknown are the  same
The Reaper of lives treats the life of the pauper and the billionaire and those who are unknown to fame
As the lives of the snail and the  worm the life  forms  none do celebrate
Yet you will never hear the Reaper described as impartial or great
I write rhymes for my own enjoyment others i have  no wish for to impress
But a fair go for all i believe in a gift i feel proud to possess.

As One Of The Opinionated

As one of the opinionated i well may be
But for  those doing it tough i do feel sympathy
Like the plants of the unweeded garden that cannot bloom to flower
The unfortunate victims of the people of power

I may be opinionated when i do not like what i see
And i speak my mind on it but then this is me
To speak for the sinned against is my greatest sin
My only tool is words and justice  for them i cannot win

I may be opinionated in some of the things  i do say
But the majority of people it would seem are this  way
What some are paid in an hour to many is more than a week's pay
Inequality is rife in the Human World of today.

For one of my years of material things i do not have for to show
And i can be opinionated of myself that much i do know
I speak for the poor bloke and the long suffering wife
And the many unfortunate people who are hard done by life.

Fools Do Rush In

Fools do rush in where angels fear to tread
The sage who first said this is long with the dead
Some people they are quite easily led
Like color blind car driver who cannot tell green from red
For  our mistakes in life we have to pay
I know that for me it has been this way
We learn from our mistakes as some like  to say
But we physically cannot return to live in yesterday
I have been told by many i've been wasting my time
In wasting my energy on penning rhyme
But since in me to rhyme there's an inborn need
Their advice though good i am not willing to heed
We cannot change  yesterday for yesterday has gone
The now is all that does matter and  the clock does tick on.

Duhallow In Late October

The fields by the Blackwater River from overnight frost looking gray
And heavy low clouds tell rain not far away
The salmon are swimming up river to spawn
In the chilly silence  of an October dawn
Though Winter to Duhallow is drawing near
The weather quite chilly for the time of year
The stormwater gurgling in the  roadside drain
Duhallow could do with four months without rain
In the wet fields in view of Clara hardly any grass at all
The cattle will be in sheds early this Fall
Six months at the least till near prime of the Spring
Till the nesting songbirds will whistle and sing
And the swallows will fly o'er the old  fields again
But till then weeks of frost and snow and storm driven rain.

I Have Never Harmed Anyone

I have never harmed anyone of which i am aware
So what others say of me  why should i much care
I have been referred to by numbers which caused me slight offense
But than take this to heart i do have far more sense
I eight two one five along with eight two five o
May be seen as lefties but even then so
My name is Francis and his name  is Mo
And all we ask for everyone is a fair go
People who refer to others by numbers ought to realize
That to refer to people in this way is to dehumanize
To all sorts of connotations such can give rise
Sometimes people when heated in their words can surprise
The historians my name will never recall
Yet i am one who believes on a fair go for all.

On Revenge

By some people the word called revenge is mentioned every day
In some sort of context or is some sort of a way
Some take  their revenge  through the law in the law court
And revenge can even seem sweet for a defeat in sport
But some people's idea of revenge it does seem
Is in taking their payback to the very extreme
On the target of their revenge they launch a savage physical attack
And death sometimes is the result of payback
Revenge can give rise to hate and hate can lead to serious crime
And payback can lead one to years of prison time
Revenge is not sweet if the  law you do break
You do not have the right for  one's life  for  to take
Though someone  has done you a serious wrong
The act of revenge to you should not belong.

None Of Us Free

Like most birds and animals we defend our borders that's how  it seems to me
For to live where we would like  to there is none of us free
I pity the homeless the displaced and the refugee
How lonely and so hard life for them must be
So many poor people who are doing it tough
Homeless and out of work and sleeping rough
Of course they do not wish for to live in this way
For being poor this is the price they have to pay
If you are homeless and in dire poverty
You may as well be  in prison than living hungry and free
Freedom is a  thing the masses do celebrate
But the true meaning of  it many do under-state
You are not free if you are poor and homeless and of hunger growing thin
In a World where many must lose for one for to win.

Kamar's Farewell To Millstreet

The Winter morning air in it did have a cold chill
 A few hours before a gray dawn did break above Clara Hill
A bang on a doorway Kamar the cry rang out
You are coming with us the emigration officials did shout

To his wife Aisha and their two young children a tearful farewell
Such sad stories of their lives some people have to tell
In a fair World such a story would never be
Life is so cruel to many would you not agree?

For Kamar it was a sad farewell from Drishane in Millstreet
Just a short walk from where the rivers do meet
And from the railway track in the green countryside
Where in Ireland's famine for every sleeper a working man died

On the tracks in the depths of  the Winter of hunger and cold
Their individual life stories never to be told
The Human World is still ruled by the forces of greed
Of far more people with compassion and empathy we are so much in need

It is something that has been said many a time
To want a better and a safer life for yourself and your wife and your children is never a crime
To forcibly deport decent asylum seeking people is such a terrible thing
Such shame  on a Nation such a practice does bring

In the dark of a cold Winter's morning before the break of day
Kamar from his wife and his children was forcibly taken away
When the cold winds of Winter from the mountains did blow
In Drishane where Finnow to the Blackwater flow.

We All Cannot Be

We all cannot be happy and bubbly and bright
And in our community a leading light
And  wealthy and popular in every way
Few of us near to perfect as some like to say
From life few receive  the things they do choose
And for one for to win someone else has to lose
The praises of winners the masses do sing
In a World where winning does mean everything
To make himself younger and brighten his life
The old sugar daddy has got a young wife
They walk hand in hand in the town every day
Money speaks every language as some like to say
But we all cannot be winners would you not agree
This  is how it is and it always will be.

The World's Greatest Killer

A dangerous creature with death in it's smile
And known to eat humans the adult crocodile
Those who swim where they live with death choose to dice
Even the thought of such an end to your life is  not nice

Some times to eat lions and tigers humans do kill
Though most man eating big cats known to be old, injured or ill
Of creatures of their size respect comes through fear
And to them it would be prudent to not venture near

Sharks can kill and  eat humans especially the great white
And some non man eaters such as snakes and spiders have death in their bite
But than all of the  afore-mentioned one more dangerous that's how it seems to be
More dangerous to many and more dangerous to me

The World's greatest killer of people of all
As in their written history historians do recall
Are homo sapiens or better known as human kind
To harm or kill their own sort some of them far too inclined.

An Ex Refugee

Fading memories are all that now with him remain
Of faces and places he will not see again
In nineteen fifty six with his parents he came to this Country as a young refugee
The last time his Homeland of Hungary he did see

In life he has been through the good times and bad
Two times a father and three times a grand-dad
On his  sixty ninth year the one to him most dear
His beloved wife  died of cancer last year

His beautiful soulmate his  devoted wife
Faithful to him till her last breath of life
Loving and kind in her ways the light of goodness on her shone
And  without her love and support he has to live on

From his Homeland of Hungary from here far away
The  passing of time has left him looking gray
He came  here with his parents when he was fifteen
The last of his homeland he ever had seen.

Equal In Every Way

Since red is  the blood we do shed when we bleed
Of racism and xenophobia humanity is not in need
Some people in their thinking do seem quite small
Since they do not believe on a fair go for all

The racists amongst us seem to fail to realize
That the color of our skin and our hair and our eyes
Does not make us less human since our blood it is red
And we all like to sleep in a comfortable bed

Old pearls of wisdom i love to recall
We have been learning from life before we learned how to crawl
We make our own friends and create our own foes
This is  how we are one would have  to suppose

Of the praises of celebrities the masses may sing
But for each one of us there is a final Spring
Our journey through life must end for us one  day
Then we will be equal in every way.

I Stand For

I stand for  the people who are hard done by life
For the homeless person and the battered wife
For the political prisoner and the refugee
I am what i think that is all i can be

I pity the people  who are down on their luck
In life between a rock and a hard place they seem to be stuck
Some people in life never can seem to win
Though to be unlucky is their  greatest sin

Many sad to say do seem lacking in ruth
But having said that we live by our own truth
And what is true to you may not be so to me
Though none of us perfect would you not agree

I only quote here what the wise one  did say
We learn a little from life every day
But the more  we learn of  life we realize so little of it we do know
And apart from each other in our thinking we do grow

I pity the people who are financially down
The homeless poor souls  of the poor side of the town
Who only know of a  life of the worst of poverty
But what they do need is far more than sympathy.

The Football Club's Best And Fairest

The football club's best and fairest when he was in his prime
But eventually we all become victims of time
The legs that did  run fast are now walking slow
The seasons of life on him are beginning to show
Not a  mere shadow of the  man that he once used to be
Gray haired in his early seventies with a poor memory
Forty five years ago he was best on ground on grand final day
Time becomes everyone's master as some like  to say
Not one sign of gray in his hair of dark brown
Today's young footballing star of the town
By the football club fans is lauded as a great
Their hero of the present they do celebrate
But the passing of time will leave  him old and gray
One  more forgotten hero of a long bygone day.

Noreen Murphy

Of years of life  she did live a lengthy span
Noreen Murphy the wife of the late Johnny Dan
Loved by all of  the people to whom she was known
Of her one can say one of Millstreet's own

One of the Hickeys of  the old Town of Millstreet
As nice a person as one could wish for to meet
A good mother to her children and to her husband Johnny a good wife
In Inchaleigh she lived for  most of her life

In Millstreet where she had lived for years
One who was well worthy of the parting tears
That were shed for  her by her friends and  family
Though of life's cares and  worries death does set us free

Millstreet for  her living in it was a far better place
And from there her's it will be a sadly missed face
One can only hope from life  her's  was a painless release
And may she  ever rest now  in eternal peace

By Cashman's hill where her last remains forever lay
From her old home perhaps  less than a  mile away
In life by good example she  was one who did  lead
And the  news of her passing it was so sad for to read.

The Parting Of Love

His vows on his wedding day he kept for life
And today he wept at the grave  of his wife
His children and grandchildren by his side did weep
For the loss of a beloved family member their sorrow was deep

Through good and  through hard time they had lived for years
But the greatest of loves are known to end in tears
All he has are photos and memories of the greatest love he has  known
On his seventy first year he is now on his own

Though time is the greatest of healers as some like to say
His grief will last for her for  many a  day
Of the praises of love the singers may sing
But the parting of love it can be such a sad thing

All good things must end as some do like to say
Today for him was his life's saddest day
The  greatest of love stories have a  tearful end
She was more than his wife she was his greatest friend

In the gray of the twilight just prior to sundown
Never more to walk hand in hand in the park in the town
And though from his life physically she may be gone
Of her the beautiful memories with him will live on.

Different In Every Way

Of the Praises of celebrities the masses do sing
And though to like to be loved  is a natural thing
Self conceit is not healthy for the mind and not good for the soul
And an over-inflated ego on the higher self can take toll
Arrogance and self conceit are siblings it does seem
And though one does need a boost when low in self esteem
They do seem self obsessed the narcissistic kind
And to talk of others than self never seem to be inclined
Self love is a good thing and would you not agree
That to narcissism it is different as different as can be
Narcissism is obsession with self taken to the extreme
An addiction with self that is how it does seem
To like to be loved is natural and is quite okay
But narcissism to this is different in every way.

The Weeds Of An Unkept Garden

The weeds of an unkept garden grown rank after Spring showers
Eventually stifle the beautiful flowers
No different to the human mind corrupted by greed
Where compassion and  empathy to bloom fail to succeed
Like the weeds that outgrow the flowers and starve them of the light of day
The unenlightened mind too does  go into decay
Lust for power through greed for success and money on the  higher self takes toll
Love  and kindness is what suffers most on an ego out of control
The  will to succeed in the aspirational cannot be  denied
The less aggressive  always seem to lose out in the social divide
The have nots are many and  those with the majority of the wealth few
 I am not saying here anything that is new
To be  financially struggling in life is  a cross for to bear
And those in such a  position sad to say are not rare.

My Way Of Enjoyment

I never refer to myself as a poet
Nor am i one worthy of literary note
On notebook i write more new rhymes every day
My way of enjoyment it does seem this way
My worth as a rhymer i have reason to doubt
But no shortage of things for  me to rhyme about
If i said i'd quit rhyming that would be telling a lie
As i hope to be doing it till the day i do die
Long before the hair on my head turned to gray
I penned my first rhymes of old  fields far away
Inspired by the beauty in Nature i see
The goddess of rhyme she keeps smiling on me
I add to my growing list of rhymes every day
And i never intend to give rhyming away.

On House Sparrows

Under the house eaves the sparrows with feathers line their nests of hay
And  they chirp from the dawn till gloam of the day
To be the World's greatest feathered chirpers is their claim to fame
They are  cheeky by nature and house sparrows by name
From human built dwellings never far away
They are  birds we see often and  hear every day
They are born without beauty they do not have a song
Plain brown and gray chirpers they do chirp all day long
In most sort of climates house sparrows reside
People have introduced them in Countries Worldwide
Of all of the World's species of birds perhaps the best known
And they do have a charm of  their very own
Too trusting of humans of them one might say
From dawn till dusk they chirp all through the day.

The Fear Of The Fear

With each passing day the end of my life's journey to me draws near
But it is not death but the fear of it that i do fear
And though the praises of a noble death the singer may sing
The fear of the fear can be  a fearful thing

Whether we are  buried or cremated our ashes in an urn
From Nature we came  and  to her we will return
We are born of a woman from the sperm of a man
And  the longest lived  human life of time not a long span

We all have our fears and our fears are our own
And my fear of death is fear of the unknown
Though many believe that post bodily death good souls have wings to fly
To a heavenly place  somewhere beyond the sky

None will ever say of me that i did die brave
For a glorious death is something i do not crave
I was born as a mortal like the cow or the sheep
And i hope for to die without pain as i sleep.

That's Life And That's Love

Few long term unplatonic relationships as passionate and loving does stay
And  that goes for heterosexual as well as gay
Love is  usually at it's best when it is new
Long term passionate sexual relationships to say the least few
Some forms of love to them do not have a long span
The man grows tired of his woman the woman grows tired of her man
And with gay couples it is very much the same
When the fire of love  fades to a flickering flame
Some will tell you that love can be better the second  time around
But at the end  of love that starts in joy bitterness to be  found
Few loves  till the death of one  partner as true  love remain
The  complexities of love beyond me to explain
Once so much in love they hate  each other today
That's life and that's love  as some are known to say.

Happiness Is A Thing

To understand human behaviour not easy at all
Some  people complain though their worries seem small
Their business showed a two million profit last year though they wished it were three
With the greedy it is much does want more that's how it seems to be

Why some are so hard to please one has to wonder why
They seem almost impossible for  to satisfy
With millions in money yet quite poor of mind
The  unhappy millionaire is not hard to find

You've heard of the fable of  the unhappy king
He ordered his head scout the shirt of a happy person to me bring
So that i can wear it in gold sovereigns for it do pay
His scout searched for a happy person for many a day

Till finally one happy man he did meet
Though without a shirt or shoes on his feet
The moral of this little story 'twould seem
Is that happiness cannot be bought by wealth and esteem

Money can buy a lot but it cannot buy everything
And though of the praises of it many are known to sing
Many stories of  unhappy wealthy people have been written and told
Happiness is a thing that cannot be  bought or sold.

Our Feelings As Such

Our feelings as such are not made out of steel
And when they are hurt the mental hurt we do feel
Fot quite a long time in some cases for years
By insults people have  been reduced to tears
Respect for the feelings of others do show
For out of hurt feelings bad feelings can grow
Those who insult others lack in common sense
The wise and compassionate with their words never cause offense
Respect to the feelings of others some never do pay
The ruthless can use their words in a destructive way
Harsh words from once spoken can cause mental pain
Why some people find pleasure in hurting the feelings of others beyond me to explain
With our words we make friends and with our words we make  foes
This is part of being human one would have to suppose.

I Hope For

I hope for a peaceful World for to live in
Without any war for to lose or to win
A World without hunger or homelessness or poverty
And a World  without even one refugee
A World where people live in harmony
How marvellous a World to live in this would be
A World that does not have borders to defend
Where everyone does look on you as a friend
A World to live in that i will not live to see
But such is not impossible would you not agree?
A World without crime and a  World without fear
The age of enlightenment to us may be near
Though not in my lifetime or so it does seem
The time is coming in the World when peace will reign supreme.

The Creatures Of The Night

The night it is  calm with the slightest of breeze
The male possums fighting on the  moonlit trees
Distinct from domestic dog in the wildness of his or her cry
The hunting fox barking in the paddock nearby
The mopoke call of the boobook owl none could mistake
All nocturnal creatures return home to rest at daybreak
They are not seen out in the light of day
At rest from the lamp of the sun they are hidden away
A friend of the farmers since to eat rats and mice they do kill
The cry of the barn owl does  sound rather shrill
The soft humming song of the frogmouth once heard again you will know
My wonder of Nature only seems to grow
Distinctive in their voices the creatures of the night
And the parkland  looking beautiful in the October moonlight.

You May Call Me A Loser

You may call me a loser or call me what you may
But i can see life's brighter side i do laugh every day
Not much point in complaining or saying that life is unfair
Good luck to every celebrity and to every billionaire
I have a home to live in i eat three meals a day
Compared to most i am lucky so it does seem this way
So many people  hungry in the bigger World out there
Homeless people in wealthy Countries and  poor people everywhere
Not one of life's successes my name none will recall
Though to be dismissed as a  failure does not bother me  at all
I feel happy with what life gives me  i laugh loud at a good joke
And those who know me better say of me not a bad bloke
The karma we receive in life some will tell you is our due
One  day we  reap what we do sow so happens to be true.

Memories Of What Was

I was born and raised in Claraghatlea to Millstreet Town near
In distance thousands  of sky miles north of here
Where to many today mine would be a  stranger's face
Most migrants become  strangers in their first home-place

I have not been to Athens or Paris or Rome
Though i've been in big cities far from my first home
The  lust of  the wander lured me to far away
From the place where i first looked on the lamp of day

Yet i envy those who never travel to elsewhere
Content in their first home-place for to grow old there
The stay at home people have a true sense of place
In their familiar surroundings her or his  is a known and loved face.

Far south of old Clara the years have  left me gray
And i would feel a stranger in Millstreet today
But memories of what was in me  does remain
And in fancy i meet with the old friends again.

My Friend Asked Me For My Advice

My friend asked me for my advice on a problem he had my thoughts  on it to him i gave
I told him the truth on how it seemed to me at such a time one must feel brave
Since i looked upon him as a friend though he did not like my advice
Sometimes your truth when spoken it does seem to you can come at a price
He no longer speaks to me such is life one  must suppose
The  one i thought was my good friend is now  one  of my foes
Had he been my friend in the  first place he would not behaave towards me is such a way
In life we learn as we live a little every day
On the ways of people i can be naive that to me a slight surprise
Our truth to us can come at a cost i have come to realize
The one i thought was my good friend on hindsight i recall
Is one i really never knew and not my friend at all
In life we learn as we live as some are known to say
And there are lessons to be learned for us every day.

The Laughter Of Children

In the park playground children laugh at their play
I used to be like them in a long bygone  day
Playing with my young friends many years from our prime
Most of them i have not seen for decades of time
Fond memories of what was to me it does bring
The great gift of youth is a marvellous thing
The sound of young laughter so pleasant to hear
Since i was a  boy there has been many a New Year
On Summer evenings in the park of  the town
We laughed as we chased the football up and down
But in Seasons  that is going back decades ago
And  time it does become everybody's foe
The laughter of children a beautiful thing
Fond  memories of what was to me it does bring.

As Jer Long Used To Say

The river at Aubane above Millstreet Town
Is flowing bank high in flood waters of brown
And Mushera behind gray fog hidden away
In the morning of a chilly October Autumn day

The bleak days of Winter with each passing day near
For  the Duhallow farmers another poor year
Their livestock must survive  the Winter on poor quality feed
For them a  grim financial outlook indeed

For Irish music and dancing a place of renown
The people in view of Mushera do not allow life's cares to get them down
In the Hall at Aubane they dance their cares away
Laughter is the best of medicine as some like to say

Jer Long of  Annagloor who was raised in Aubane a man i used to know
Used to say we have lived through hard Winters and never eaten the snow
When we live through the hard times good times are our due
To such a philosophy in Aubane they remain true

The Autumn weather is poor a tough Winter may be ahead
But that hope springs eternal truer words never said
The river at Aubane is flowing bank high today
But things will only improve as Jer Long used to say.

On This October Day

There is a slight chill in the freshening coastal breeze
But a pleasant enough day of around sixteen degrees
Across the blue sky scattered clouds of light gray
And the sun shining bright on this October day
A familiar voice of  the southern Spring
On an acacia tree the male blackbird does sing
And the warbling of the magpie melodious and  clear
The bird who does sing every day of the year
My worth as a rhymer i have reason to doubt
But in Nature never shortage of things for one to write about
My wonder of her only does seem to grow
But the more i learn of her so little about her i realize i do know
Since she does work in a mysterious way
And her secrets from us she keeps hidden away.

Who Can Say In Life

Who can say in life what of us is ahead
We live for a short while and are forever dead
Though we have our life  choices as some like  to say
Destiny in our lives has a  huge part to play

The gift of life comes to us only by chance
Your life can change for the worse or the better through luck or circumstance
Like all life forms we are born to mortality
To follow in life the paths of our destiny

For this thing known as success millions do compete
To be best in your neighbourhood or best in your street
To be best in the Country and best Worldwide
The human lust for wealth and fame it cannot be denied

Who can say in life what the future will bring
Since life in itself is an unpredictable thing
The fact is we are born as mortals and fact never lie
And  one day or night we are destined to die.

From Listening To Alan Jones

At left wingers he would like to throw bricks and stones
He spends too much time  listening to Alan Jones
Those with different views to him he  chooses to despise
His kind may grow  older but they do not grow wise
He enjoys listening to Alan Jones on radio every day
And he  agrees on everything Alan does say
About lefties and greenies people he does not like at all
He says that they will be the Country's downfall
Like his hero Alan Jones he makes friends and foes
We are what we think one would have to suppose
Those with different views to him he cannot tolerate
He does not see them as of any worth to the State
If he could at left wingers  he would throw bricks and stones
This  is what can happen to one  from listening to Alan Jones.

A Carefree Bloke

He surely has lived the best part of his life's span
And he sure will not die as the town's wealthiest man
Eight times a grandfather divorced by his ex wife
But he is one who makes the most out of life

His hair once  light brown is now silver gray
One who likes a good laugh and drinks a few beers every day
Happy go lucky those who know of him say
That he is carefree and has always been this way

For one in his mid  to late seventies he looks fit and well
Of life he has many great stories to tell
His motto enjoy life live for as long as you can
He hopes to die without pain in his sleep as a very old man

A man who enjoys beer and music, dancing, laughter and song
And is happy to join in the pub sing along
He always does have a big smile on his face
And where laughter is he is not out of place.

I Will Rhyme On

For many years i have been a rhyming buff
And i am one of those who has penned reams of stuff
The rhymes keep coming to me on notebook paper i pen them down
But never for financial gain or for  literary renown

I began penning stuff back in my life's prime
And that is going back near four decades in time
Addicted to rhyming though some  to me say
Perhaps  it is time i gave writing away

The sort of stuff i do pen anybody could write
It is easy to memorize, read and recite
Yet it is something i enjoy doing i write every day
Old habits die hard as some are known to say

My worth as a rhymer i may have reason to doubt
But for  me there never has been a rhyming drought
Since i penned my first rhyme many Seasons have gone
One addicted to rhyming i keep penning on

It is so very easy as easy as can be
Anybody can rhyme you can have that from me
Though my best days in life to the forever gone
I do enjoy rhyming and i will rhyme on.

Will There Come A Time

Will there come a time  when war will be a fading memory
Of an unenlightened age of human history
When those of different beliefs  will live in harmony
Though in my lifetime this may never be
The people we choose to rule us more of us does say
Than any words can it does seem this way
Of the sort of World we live in we have stated our case
Since we voted them into power in the  first place
Due to loss of many lives wars even so called winners never win
And since it is from an abuse of power that most wars do begin
Then those we vote  to power for their mistakes should not take all of the blame
For their wars we must also feel some guilt and shame
There may come a time in the Human World when peace will reign supreme
Though sad to say not in my life-time it would seem.

If You Do Help Those

If you do help those of helping in need
For your good Karma you plant the  good  seed
Compassion is a creature of the mind
To some it comes natural for to be kind
Narcissism can grow out of an over inflated sense of self esteem
The ego hard to keep in check it would seem
It is easy so easy in your words for to put others down
Though negative words will never be your ticket to renown
Respect you will not receive if such you cannot give
There is  a saying known as live and let live
You cannot judge people by their  job or the size of their house or car
It is how you think makes you the person that you are
A fair go for self  is not a fair go for all
Some in their thinking do seem very small.

If There Is A God

If there is a god that god is for everyone
And not for the billionaire his wife and their daughter and son
And not for the president the queen and the king
Though their  praises the gullible masses do sing

If there is a god be it a he or a she
That god is for you and that god is for me
In god's eyes no difference between the pauper and  billionaire
If there is a god then that god must be fair

If there is a god in a  kingdom in the sky
The souls of the  just will have wings there to fly
To when the last breath of life from their bodies has gone
In a heavenly place their spirits will live on

If there is a god he or she would treat all souls as the same
The soul of  the bllionaire and  the one without a penny to his or her name
And  give the souls of the just wings for to fly
To the universal utopia far beyond the sky.

I Only Can Tell You

I only can tell you of what my eyes  do see
Of the beauty of Nature  that is all around me
On a drizzling Spring evening with only a slight chill
From the lookout above the Lake  of Tower Hill
The October evening Unspringlike the sky looking gray
But Nature does look beautiful every day
Bordering the dark lake waters vegetation of gray, green and brown
A kilometre at least from Koroit's rural Town
Tower Hill the inspiration of story and rhyme
A meeting place of Australia's first people in the  Dreaming Time
Where wallaby, emu, koala and kangaroo reside
In a place that is known to people far and wide
Though the rain drizzles down from a sky looking gray
Utopia from Tower Hill is not far away.

Some In Their Thinking

I have lived in many places since i left Millstreet
And people of different races and cultures i've worked with and did meet
And  though different from me in their beliefs and thinking i found them to be okay
Take them as you find them as the wise one did say
That everyone is kind in their own way i have come to realize
But that in itself should not be a surprise
Our suspicion of those to us different based on the media of fear
You should not judge people by what of them you hear
The vile feelings of racism and xenophobia are what we do not need
Since red is our blood we are of similar seed
No such a thing as a superior race not to me anyway
Do not expect respect from others if respect to them you do not pay
Some in their thinking do seem rather small
Since they do not believe on a fair go for all.

On A Beautiful Evening

To feel the warmth of the sun the  freckled brown trout
In the shallows of the river pool swimming about
And a golden billed blackbird on an acacia  sing
On a beautiful evening in the prime of the Spring
In Nature so much beauty for  to admire
And of singing her praises one  never could tire
I have loved her since i was a very young boy
And learning of her ways i still do enjoy
Were i a poet to her a poem i would write
For lovers of poetry for to read and recite
Of the beauty i see in the park by the  bay
That is all around  me on this beautiful day
The magpie is piping high on branch of gum tree
And  the dainty magpie lark is singing pee wee.

Have You Ever Felt Maudlin

Have you ever felt maudlin and quite close to tears
As you thought of the people you have not seen for years
The few beers you did drink to nostalgia gave rise
And for the far away town there were tears in your eyes

Tinged with sadness in memory your  happier times you recall
Of the girls you danced with in the local hall
Some of the living amongst them grand parents today
In the hometown or from there many miles away

The young men you played with and against in football
Like you they would have aged as age does come to us all
The old pub in the town where you danced, drunk and sung
Along with the band in the days you were young

When your young bones did not feel the chill of the cold
You never realized then that you would grow old
You never realized then that you would walk slow
Old age like a silent thief on us does grow

You feel maudlin and nostalgic with a few beers in
To have feelings in you is never a sin
Such moods come and go to the ageing migrant mind
In memories of good times some  sadness you will find.

Crooks In Disguise

If you miss an interest payment to the  bank a penalty you must pay
The bankers are not kind and generous in any sort of a way
Out of hard working people like you and others the banker becomes a billionaire
That is life as some do tell us but life it is not always fair.

Of the financial hardship endured by some of their customers the bankers do not realize
But that in itself is not any surprise
Since it is the bureaucratic way that success comes through greed
Of compassion and kindness such people seem lacking indeed

With bankers it is always much wants much more
The bureaucratic heart does have a rotten core
They always take more far more than they give
And without a sense of shame the good life they do live

Most bankers are just greedy loan sharks  who would not know how to be kind
And  compassion amongst them would be hard to find
Those who are  late with an interest payment they do penalize
As well as being greedy and wealthy they are crooks in disguise.

I May Never Again

I may never again see the fields of Millstreet
And people i have known there i may never more meet
Old Claraghatlea i've not seen for twenty six years
Though for what has been i've shed all of my tears

The Seasons go by i'm running out of  time
More than three decades have passed since i was in my life's prime
In Claraghatlea nowadays my first old homeplace
Mine to many there would be a stranger's face

Though the  changes are happening in Millstreet and in Millstreet Town
In view of old Clara in it's face  of brown
The old fields i loved  would look much the same
Some of them i recall had their own given name

Though great change is occuring in the World of today
The  now is all that matters as some like to say
Yet in fancy i can hear the male chaffinch sing
On a leafy silver birch tree in the prime of the Spring

And the song of the dipper where Finnow waters flow
Through old fields where rushes in clusters do grow
The past may be gone but the memories remain
With me of an old  place i may never see again

Claraghatlea in Millstreet from here far away
Where to many i would be a stranger today
And the past just a memory to the forever gone
And time does not wait and life does go on.

Why Some Men Are

Why some  men are so very hard to please beyond me to explain
He has a good job a new home and a new car and yet he does complain
Two healthy school-going children a girl and a boy and a beautiful and faithful young wife
One would swear to listen to him that he is one hard done by life

He acts as if he were homeless never knew of an easy day
Some people though financially well to do you never hear them say
That lady luck is on their side and hovering near to them does stay
And he  is surely one of  them perhaps his  kind are born this way

You show some a flowering garden and  they will only see decay
You never see them happy though financially  they are doing quite okay
For as  long as the breath of life is in them as negative they will remain
They never do seem satisfied though great their worldly gain

Just one more very wealthy man who is obsessed by greed
One  would swear to hear him talking of financial help he was in need
The negative financially well to do his type are never hard to find
Though he must be  very poor indeed when he is poor in his mind.

We Learn As We Live

She was so in love with him on the day she became  his wife
She thought that their marriage it would  last for life
But love  can have it's heartaches as some like to say
And she is far wiser than she was today

Her marriage to him only lasted two years
For the  love of  another he left her in tears
He left her for to raise their child on her own
The tougher side of life  she is one who has known

Her son lives in London last year he turned twenty three
It has  been over two years since him she last see
But he sometimes phones her and each week without fail
They keep in contact online by email

Though the passage of time on the  features does tell
For one in her late  forties she looks rather well
Though she has some gray in her hair of light brown
Two decades ago one of the beauties of the town

It can be said of her once bitten twice shy
Since she will not give  marriage  another try
She does seem quite happy in her own company
We learn as we live that's how it seems to be.

What We Dislike In Others

What we dislike in others in ourselves we do see
But to be anyone's judge it is not up to me
And though i can be  judgemental in my own small way
So are many more going by what of others they do say
Live and let live to all should apply
And of a fair go none we ought to deny
But sad to say of many this is not the case
And  the morality in the fair go for all too few does embrace
I too have my limitations of which i am aware
But the flawless it does seem in the Human World are quite rare
Far more sinners  than saints  would you not agree
This  is how it is and it always will be
So few very few who do live without sin
But by becoming a better person you can make the World better to live in.

For Years You've Been Struggling

For years you've been struggling with your sense of low self esteem
But in that you are  not alone  it does seem
So many as you are struggling in this way
Perhaps hundreds of millions in the Human World of today
In a World where success throught materialism is seen as the in thing
And the praises of billionaires and celebrities many do love to sing
Those born with frail egos are struggling to cope
To them lack of money brings with it lack of any hope
Of success and happiness in the tomorrows ahead
In their moods of despair many wish themselves dead
There are many like you more than you realize
Lack of money to feelings of insecurity gives rise
And so many like you low in self esteem
This is sad though this also is life it does seem.

On Forcible Deportation

He was forcibly deported from Millstreet in County Cork
To want a better life for himself and his wife and young children was his only crime
In twenty first century Ireland this seems all wrong to me
A hark back sad to say to Oliver Cromwell's time

When poor people from their homes were evicted forcibly
On to the roadway for  to die or struggle to survive
Cromwell justifiably to many seen as an evil man
Since their human rights of people he chose to deprive

In any Country's Constitution there is not any written law
That any man is  not entitled to a better life
 A decent job and a  home to live in where he can feel secure
With his nearest and his dearest his children and  his wife

In Ireland there is a new movement called Anti Forcible Deportation
Of such a grouping one might say the World is in need
That any good person should be forcibly removed from his family to me does seem quite wrong
For the  displaced it is a sad World to live in so very sad indeed.

In A Class Of Your Own

If for the goodness in others you do not look hard to see
And  you are as good a person as you can be
And for to help others out you go out of your way
And you perform your good deed or two every day

You never look down on others or set yourself up as anyone's judge
And you are not one who does  harbour a grudge
Even for those on purpose who have done you wrong
To a rare breed of person you are one who belong

In you in your ways there is nothing small
And you do believe on a fair go for all
You are one  i greatly respect and admire
And of singing your praises i never could tire

In your words you never put anyone down
We do need more people like you in this  town
And though you are not financially well off or one who is widely known
As a person you are in a class of your own

With the town's social elite you are never invited to tea
But of a good person you are my idea
You will reap the good  fruits of the Karma you sow
And in my estimation in stature you grow.

Of Toots Kelleher

Of Toots Kelleher only the memories remain
But in fancy i often does seem him again
In full flight for Millstreet in the green and gold
Though it is true about great men they too do grow old

Never found to be wanting when put to the test
For Cork, Munster and Millstreet he always gave of his best
In Cork, Coachford, Macroom, Killarney and  in famed Croke Park
The Pride of Duhallow often left his mark

One of Ireland's best forwards in his day playing gaelic football
His many great displays too many to recall
A sportsman supreme and a marvellous player
He did play it hard but he always played fair

With Toots  there was never an excuse in defeat
He would say by the better team today we were beat
His opponents  of him had only kind things to say
And for him there was many a loud hip hooray

Tall dark haired, strong and handsome  in his glorious prime
Though that is going back many decades in time
But even great players do grow old and gray
May he rest in peace now wherever he  lay

Since Toots Kelleher played gaelic football many Seasons have gone
But with those who watched him play the good memories live on
Of one never found to be wanting when put to the test
In the  gaelic playing fields of Ireland he always gave of his best.

That Our Different Views

That our different views make us interesting does  seem right to me
On such an opinion few who could disagree
But i feel more  at ease in like minded company
It is each to their own is how  it seems to be
Most of us look at life in a  different way
We are what we think as some do like to say
The  thoughts patterns formed in the depths of your mind
Can make you a better person or one  compassionless and unkind
In our own small ways we can seem very small
But those who believe on a fair go for all
Are people that i do respect and admire
And of singing their praises i never could tire
But that our different views make us interesting would you not agree
At least anyway that's how  it seems to me.

In Koroit's Green Gardens

The nesting birds singing in Koroit's green gardens on this  sunny and warm October Spring day
The sky is deep blue as blue as blue can be with only a few scattered clouds of light gray
The weather temperatures in the low twenties a forecast high for the day of twenty three degrees
On branches of the ash trees new leaves are budding with a pleasant coolness in the freshening breeze
That blow from the sea through the Botanic Gardens where Nature's green beauty is all around me
The magpies and blackbirds proclaiming their borders and who could mistake the song of the pee wee
Nature's beauty does inspire the artists and writers  old Koroit today is a beautiful Town
The streets and the roads by the park are not busy and very few cars do pass up and down
Nature at her finest today all around  me and so much beauty in Nature for one to admire
I have loved her since i was a very young fellow and of singing her praises i never do tire
Old  Koroit today is at it's very finest the park looking green after recent Spring rain
The sun out and shining i feel very happy with such pleasant weather how could one  complain
The nesting birds singing in Koroit's green gardens and everywhere looking so fresh and so green
 I can only marvel at such natural beauty the beauty in Nature that only is  seen.

The Lovely Ruby Hunter

With eyes and hair as dark as raven's feather the darling of her clan and of her race
I said hello to lovely Ruby Hunter a lovely smile lit up her nut brown face
She said hello she was so warm and friendly as if i were an old friend she did meet
Unaffected by her fame such a nice person she did not have the burden of conceit

At the Tarerer Music Festival in Killarney on a pleasant day when Spring was in it's prime
With her husband Archie Roach she had performed that is going back now a few years in time
A lot of things since would have changed for Archie since the mother of his children Ruby died
The Reaper of lives robbed him of his soulmate news of her passing traveled far and wide

Fond memories of the lovely Ruby Hunter with family and friends and her many fans will remain
It is sad to think that she has gone forever that she will not be seen in the flesh again
Ruby a supreme songstress and musician in her lifetime she was famed and widely known
But more than that she was a special person one with a charm of her very own

For one so great and famous she was humble her ego by her well under control
The World was better for her living in it she was one who was blessed with a great soul
I said hello to the lovely Ruby Hunter she smiled at me and wished me a nice day
The World was better for her living in it of her that would be a fair thing to say.

A Gray Haired Fellow From Wonthaggi

A gray haired fellow from Wonthaggi in South Gippsland from here far away
In the former coal mining Town of the coastlands he first looked on the bright lamp of day
Before his mum and  dad brought him and his sister to live in Warrnambool
The biggest Town in South West Victoria where he  started and finished school
In Warrnambool he met his soul mate the woman who became his wife
She died in her thirty first Summer she was not granted a long life
He worked hard at raising his daughter he is seven times a grand dad
One i have yet to hear complaining though an easy life he's never had
A\man who never did remarry for years he has lived on his own
Today in his first Hometown Wonthaggi by anyone  he would not be known
He was in his prime in the sixties today he is three score and ten
So well liked by all who do know  him he is one of the gentlest of men
Sixty four of his seventy years spent in Warrnambool where his once brown hair has turned to gray
A long way from Wonthaggi in South Gippsland where he first looked on the lamp of day.

No Need To Remind Me

No need to remind me since i know i am not a poet
But then so few are worthy of literary note
It is something you've  often heard me say before
That i rhyme for enjoyment and little else more
So good to be living on such a nice  day
The birds chirp and sing in the park by the bay
The sun out and shining a gentle Spring breeze
A forecast high for the day of  twenty one degrees
The birds known to many as the magpie lark
Are singing pee wee in the sunlit town park
In early October near the  prime  of the Spring
The nesting song birds chirp and whistle and sing
And though my worth as a rhymer i always do doubt
Never shortage of  things for me to rhyme about.

On Alan Jones

 A seventy one years man he does know of wealth and  renown
His  radio voice is known in every Australian village and city and town
For his most offensive  comments Alan Jones is well known
And with age only sillier and more arrogant he seems to have grown

His comments on recently deceased John Gillard father of Australia's P M Julia were way out of line
Could it be  before his speech to the Young Liberals Alan had drunk too much wine?
His remarks  on a good man who loved and was proud of his daughter may be hard to forgive
It cannot be said of Alan that he does learn as he live

We do know of Julia Gillard that she is not a  saint
But then not many politicians who are free of taint
But some of Alan Jones comments on her have left a deep mental scar
And on his latest gaffe he has gone much too far

Words can cause deep offense as most realize
Alan Jones may be wealthy and  famous but he  is far from wise
There is no fool like an old fool as some lke to say
And it can be said of Alan that it is  this way.

Koroit

Koroit a Town in South West Victoria that is famed and widely known
For  it's links to Irish and Indigenous culture it does  have a charm of it's own
The  Koroitians are warm and friendly people with a sense and pride of place
And they never make you feel a stranger even though you are of different race
To Koroit i'm a newcomer though i do not feel that way
 I feel happy and at home there and there i do hope to stay
Till the Reaper claims my life's breath on some  future night or day
Since death is a part of  living and in that we don't have  a say
I feel happy in old Koroit it is home from home to me
Near to Warrnambool and Towerhill, Port Fairy and Killarney by the sea
To grow old in the Town of Koroit is part of my life's destiny
It is a great old place to live in with that few would  disagree
As a  Town of hospitable and friendly people in the green old countryside
Koroit in South West Victoria has become known far and wide.

A Voice That's Unmistakeable

 A voice that's unmistakeable at twilight of October day
That i first heard as a young boy in old grove  far away
Proclaiming his nesting borders in the Springtime of the year
His  is a familiar voice of Nature always pleasant for to hear
The song of  the male golden billed blackbird such a beautiful thing
For to hear on a calm and  pleasant evening near to the prime of Spring
Some birds he is one of them you know them by their song
Once heard quite unmistakeable you never get him wrong
My wonderment of Nature does never cease to grow
Yet so little of her ways that i can claim to know
But in life we never do stop learning as some are known to say
And in Nature a  lesson or two for us every day
And a bird that is familiar to many and familiar to me
The golden billed male blackbird one i know to hear and see.

Hamilton's Prettiest

Her eyes are light blue and her wavy shoulder length hair is light brown
The  prettiest young woman in Hamilton Town
Twenty three years of age  close to her life's prime
For marriage and children she has plenty of time
Herself  and her ex fiance three months ago parted company
She  feels happy in her life single and carefree
Many of her young friends living elsewhere but in Hamilton she is happy to stay
Where she hopes to live till her last night and day
A beautiful young woman free of conceit
So charming in her ways and pleasant to meet
For some lucky man she will make a lovely wife
Though marriage at present not her priority in life
She has no desire to travel in the big World out there
Though some of her young friends now living elsewhere.

It Does Seem This Way

Life is not meant to be easy for some it does seem
And lack of money does give rise to low self esteem
Only a  saint would embrace poverty
And saints are a rare breed would you not agree
So many homeless people sleeping rough at night
For them life has always been an uphill fight
It seems an impossible journey to wealth and renown
For those out of work on the poor side of town
With a home  to live in i cannot complain
I have never been homeless or known of hunger pain
Millions destined  to live  as paupers due to birth circumstance
To succeed in life they never had a chance
The numbers of Homeless and Stateless increase by the day
For some life is not easy it does seem this  way.

The Blooming Of Love

The blooming of love is a beautiful thing
And of the praises of love many do love to sing
But the love often the quickest to bloom often the fastest to die
Wise words from an old sage and surely not a  lie
It is true about love it is  a beautiful thing
And of the praises of love many do love to sing
But the ending of love often gives rise to tears
And a bitter sorrow that does linger for  years
There are many forms of love  as we know all too well
And everyone of love have their own stories to tell
For as long as in her body there is living breath
The mother she loves her children till her death
And though love it has inspired song, story and  rhyme
Some forms of love do not last for a  long time.

In Buninyong

In Buninyong i would be a stranger today
Since from there in time i've been too long away
A stranger today in the old Crown Hotel
Where years ago i was one who was known well
In a place that did often inspire me to rhyme
I've not been there for some twenty four years in time
The people there to strangers welcoming and kind
And better than them would be so hard to find
By some of the locals i was made to feel as one of their own
Where today i would be a stranger just one more unknown
For the years bring with them changes and the past it has gone
And we  live in the now and in life we move on
But fond memories of Buninyong i have to retain
And in fancy i visit the old Crown again.

Jill Meagher

Everything happens for a reason at least that is what we are told
But that of little use to her since she did not live to grow old
Her life it was taken from her in the cruelest and foulest way
That lady luck was not on her side does this seem a  fair thing to say

Jill Meagher on her way home from a function a night out in her local bar
The distance to walk in metres for one in her late twenties not far
She met with a badly flawed person unworthy of mention by name
Who in prison will live for decades with the taint of his act of shame

Yes his name not worthy of mention the one  who took her young life
He robbed her family of a precious member and robbed her husband of his  beloved wife
Her friends left to mourn her passing how sad very sad life can be
I recall the  words of a wise one how we die part of our life's destiny

This may be so but poor Jill Meagher did not deserve such a  terrible end
Humanity does have  it's dark side why otherwise try to pretend
She now is beyond life's worries her husband and family left for her to grieve
That everything happens for a reason i do find quite hard to believe.

Fifteen Kilometres From Warrnambool

Fifteen kilometres or more from Warrnambool's big coastal Town
The  paddocks by the Hopkins in Summer are brown
An old land that has inspired story and rhyme
That was very old even in the  Dreamtime

Australia's first people long before the first Europeans came
For this ancient Country had a different name
Where on warm Summer evenings they had their corroborees
And out of the full sun danced in the shade of the trees

Fifteen kilometres or more from the Town of Warrnambool
The dark moorhens cry in the brown river pool
Where the Hopkins does flow and will forever more
On it's journey that ends at the Pacific shore

Where natural beauty on all Seasons is to be seen
In Winter and Spring the old paddocks look green
But in the dry spells of Summer and Autumn they look bare and brown
Fifteen kilometres or more from Warrnambool's big coastal Town.