The Best I Can Be

For many years i have been a rhyming buff
And in four decades of writing i have penned heaps of stuff
My rhymes i email to an internet site
And the sort of stuff i pen anybody could write
I never refer to myself as a poet
Nor do i feel worthy of literary note
I write for enjoyment and little else more
This is something you may have heard me say before
I love penning rhymes of that why should i lie
And i hope to be doing it until the day i do die
I add to my numbers of rhymes  every day
It is  each to their own as some do like to say
I am not one of a rare breed there are many like me
And an ordinary rhymer is the best i can be.

Life Does Go On

It has been awhile since my hair was dark brown
Since i lived in Claraghatlea just west of Millstreet Town
And only the  memories with me now remain
For  me  what has been and will never be  again

In the groves and fields by my first home as a school going boy
Learning of Nature's ways i used to  enjoy
And i do enjoy learning of her ways today
We learn till death as some are known to say

And of Nature's ways there is so much for  to know
The dark brown river bird with breast as white as snow
The dipper sang where the stream rapids did flow
When the winds of rain above the old fields did blow

From Claraghatlea i have been too long away
To many i would be a stranger there today
When i left there i was past my life's prime
And this is going back now many years in time

But the old fields i loved many of them had their own given name
Today to me i am sure would look the same
As the fields i often walked in many years ago
Long before the tick of time became my foe

And only the memories with me do remain
Of places and  faces i may not see again
We live in the now and the  past it has gone
And time leaves us older and  life does go on.

No Business Of Mine

You have your  opinions and this suits me fine
And what you think of me is  no business of mine
We all look at others in our ways differently
And my greatesst critic will always be me
With me you have  nothing in common to share
Your life's aspiration is to become a billionaire
In life i suppose we do receive our due
I only hope what you wish for will for you come true
I am older than you by four decades of years
And  for mistakes of the past far too late to shed tears
Like you have  i had great dreams for myself in my prime
Old unrealized dreams that have  faded in time
That you look on me as a failure with me is  quite okay
We do all look at life in a different way.

For South West Victoria

For south west Victoria the warmest March thus far on record
This is what those who does keep the weather records say
Today in the low twenties nice and sunny and breezy
But tomrrow is supposed to be in the low thirties for Autumn that is quite a warm day

The silver bill magpies singing in the backyard
The birds who sing every day of the year
Amongst the world's finest feathered songsters
Their flute like notes are pleasant for to hear

The weather temperatures for March this year are quite high
Above the average for time of year by at least five degrees
Around the flowering ivy on the tree trunks
The buzzings of the nectar gathering bees

The magpie larks are singing in the park-land
Quite distinctive in their familiar song pee wee
And the all white long bill corellas are calling
On the high branches of a sunlit tree

For March the weather it is very warm
Well above average temperatures for the time of year
The white back magpies in the backyard singing
Their flute like notes so melodious and clear.

By Gift Of Chance Alone

Everyone cannot be wealthy and famous we can only live as our best and nothing more
Circumstance of birth on your life can have a bearing something often written of and said before
The homeless youth of drug addicted parents is one in life who is  condemned to fail
It is quite hard for you to be successful if those who gave  you the gift of life are locked in jail
The  millions of children of the refugee camps and the  ghettos by birth circumstance of a fair go in life denied
It is very hard for one to be successful if lady luck is never on your side
Our gift of life for us becomes a journey and we meet friends and  foes along the way
Till the Reaper of Lives does make everyone equal since for all of us a final night and day
The monarch and the president can only become equal to the poorest of the poor side of the town
The Reaper who does not spare the lives of the celebrated only makes them equal to the one financially down
You can only live to live the best you can be not everyone is born to wear the crown
The journey for the poor child of the ghetto will never be  a journey to renown
By gift of chance alone we have been born and the  fact is everyone is born to die
And the fact is  death makes the billionaire and the pauper as equal and fact of course is never known to lie.

Alby Clarke

The human will power it cannot be denied
A lesser man than Alby Clarke would have died
But in his mid life he took up long distant running and brought the kilos down
And now he is known and famous far from Warrnambool Town
The story of Alby is a great one to tell
An overweight diabetic he was not feeling well
But he took up running and miles of roadway he has ran
What can one  say of him but he's a remarkable man
With chocolate skin and long gray hair in his late seventies and light on his feet
One who is often seen jogging on Koroit Street
An ultra marathon runner in him so much to admire
Of singing his praises one never could tire
The odds stacked against him but he did succeed
Of more people like Alby the Human World is in need.

To Me Human Behavior

To me human behavior can be a hard to understand thing
So many people in the shower love to sing
But they would never sing in front of a crowd
By nerves to sing for an audience many people are cowed
So many do daydream of wealth and of fame
To be a wealthy and  renowned singer one with a great name
But before an audience for to sing most are too shy
Nerves and a lack of self confidence are the reasons why
So many can only sing in the shower and daydream every day
Of being renowned singers with millions of fans and known in Lands far away
But some never sing before an audience though their voices melodious and clear
Since stage fright it does seem is an unconquerable fear
The best they can do is  join in the pub sing along
And  whilst in the  shower burst into song.

You Like To Tell Me

You like to tell me of how marvelous you are
Of the size of your  house and  the size of your car
And of your  recent job promotion on your climb to material success
But your sort of stories me does not impress

Around town i believe the gossip is rife
That you beat your children and you beat your wife
But you say these are rumors and any truth in them deny
But why anyone should spread such rumors one must wonder why?

Your boasting of your material success does not impress me at all
As your worldly views to say the least seems small
You say that paupers for being as  they are have themselves for to blame
Though not one homeless person or pauper you know of by name

For to live as a good person you have yet to succeed
For to achieve this compassion and kindness are things you would need
And since you lack in these two it does seem sad to say
That you are only successful in a material way

Though the  rumors are rife you deny you beat your children and wife
And you boast to me of your materially successful life
But you are not compassionate or caring or kind
And to the hardships of the have nots you do seem quite blind.

Not Everyone

Not everyone lives by the code of honor
And not everyone is faithful to the truth
There are some who seem very short of scruples
And there are some who do sadly lack in ruth

Not everyone can be wealthy and famous
Since so many only know of poverty
The social gap it keeps on ever widening
This is how it is and  it will always be

Not everyone can at all times feel happy
Since truly happy people are becoming rare
The happy person may not be one with a big income
Not a scarce type the unhappy billionaire

Not everyone can be kind and loving and caring
Though this sort of person are not in the few
This simple  rhyme is based on common knowledge
And to that you may say tell us what is new.

Taken For Granted

Do you feel that you have been taken for granted this does happen to people every day
To be overlooked is not a pleasant feeling this would seem quite a  fair thing to say
When others see fit to treat you in such a manner it strips away from you some self esteem
When credit you feel you've  earned to you not given it can feel deflating or so it does seem
Everyday so many are taken for granted and used by others to seek their own gain
Why this should be ask someone other than me it is a strange creature the human brain
Everyone does need some reward for their effort but of recognition some often denied
By those who use them as a step ladder to self promotion the people who in honor take no pride
They use others and take  them for granted suppose they cannot help the way they are
Those who use others for self gain not a rare breed for to meet one you do not have to walk far
An honorable person never takes one for granted and to the higher self does remain true
Their sort never use others for their self gain and always give credit to where it is due
But as is said there are all sorts of people in the great race of humanity
And every day some are taken for granted this is how it is and it will always be.

The Years Have Left Him Walking Slower

The years have left him walking slower time it does catch up on us all
In his prime years going back forty Summers he was handsome, athletic and tall
In the  ninety seventy Grand Final he was voted the best on ground
Back then in all of the football clubs of the region his equal was not to be found
A seventy three year old divorced grand-father his  better days are in the past
He is not the man that he once was the prime years of life  do go fast
In his young years admired as a sporting hero when he was the toast of the town
It has been awhile since he could run fast in the days when his hair was dark brown
Today the title of the region's best footballer to a young man in his life's prime belong
He is  the one admired by many the hero of story and  song
Suppose the present is all that does matter the past in the forever gone
And each day leaves us one day older and time ever ticks on and on
He walks down the street at a  slow pace not the  man he once  used to be
He looks  even older than he is an aging man of seventy three.

The Londoner

In this place he does feel a stranger the man from the faraway town
Here he has no wish for to marry and  raise children and settle down
He is contract bound for six months work here and after that he is going home
The Londoner always loves London as much as the Roman loves Rome
He is not interested in Rugby League or Rugby Union, Cricket or Australian Rules Football
These sort of sports do not interest him no not even the least bit at all
Soccer the only game he likes and he  is an Arsenal fan
He does miss his home, family and friends in London he is very much an English man
He does feel homesick at the weekend especially on saturday
When he thinks of the stands at Highbury from where he used to watch the Gunners play
He will be  back home in London in the  cool of the English Fall
He miss family, home and the soccer his favorite code of football
A Londoner in his mid twenties but he is  a long way from home
And the  Londoner always loves London as much as the Roman loves Rome.

On A Happening At St Brigid's

The old school room and church of St Brigid's in Crossley south west Victoria has strong links to Irish history
Once a meeting place and a house of worship and a  school for the children of the local Irish community
Gary Lucas emailed me an article of a happening there going back near a century
When the Australian Government were conscripting young men to fight in the war in Europe for the British Monarchy

A World war was being waged in Europe in the early twentieth century  in nineteen sixteen
And young Irishmen were being murdered in Dublin for their love of the white and  gold and green
By the British forces occupying Ireland where hatred for all things British did grow
For a poor and oppressed people no mercy the British invaders did show

When the Australian conscription officers came to St Brigid's to conscript young men to fight under the Union Jack
From Crossley's angry Irish population they came under attack
The conscription officers with eggs were pelted of their lives they were in fear
That they were not welcome in Crossley to them was made obviously clear

Mr A S Rodgers M H R and recruiting Sargeant Stevens fled into the night
And under the  cover of darkness quickly disappeared out of sight
Mr Gordon the meeting chairman and Constable Nelson lucky to leave Crossley alive
The threat of a brutal death they were lucky to  survive

Time always seems to bring a healing as the wise person did say
And peace and  harmony reign supreme at old St Brigid's today
It is now a community gathering place and when the musicians play
There is merriment, song and laughter and people dance their cares away.

The Australian Magpies

The Australian magpies do sing every day
To proclaim their borders this their natural way
And often i do hear them singing at night
Their flute like notes nice to hear in the moonlight
The  Australian magpies or piping shrikes birds every Australian know
Black and white birds as  big as the average sized crow
In their breeding Season their nesting territories with aggression they defend
Even humans they do attack none to them is a friend
On all days and  all Seasons their flute like notes one does hear
They even sing on the wettest and coldest day of the year
Distinctive in their ways and loud warbling flute like song
Once seen and once heard birds one should not get wrong
Most species of songbirds only sing in the  Spring
But the Aussie magpie every day of the year does sing.

Far Too Many People

Far too many people it does seem this way
The seven billion plus human beings in the Human World of today
Despite wars and famines the human population is on the rise
When it comes  to family planning most people are not wise
With the increase in the human population less land for food to be grown
And that the poor are getting poorer and hungrier is a fact we cannot disown
Global warming due to burning of fossil fuels hurries on Climate Change
One of the reasons why World weather patterns of late have been acting so strange
Natural habitats to accomodate Nature's creatures to human dwellings losing out
On our part in the extinction of many species of wildlife there can be little doubt
That the human population is increasing at an alarming rate
Is something that we ought not to celebrate
And the gap between the haves and the have nots widening by the day
This does seem a sad thing for  to have to say.

The Power It Is Within You

The power it is in you yes you have it within
For to make the Human World a better World to live in
By making yourself a better person that and nothing more
This is not something new it has often been said before
By very wise people far wiser than me
With the wisdom in their sayings i cannot disagree
You as an individual have your own part to play
On making it better to live in the Human World of today
By being kind to others and helping those of helping in need
On this way to make the Human World better to live in you are planting the good seed
Doesn't matter of your social status you can succeed
Of making the Human World better to live in yes you can indeed
If you are kind to others and do one good deed every day
It is  by good example you are leading the way.

I May Never Again

I may never again see Hibernia's shore
Or climb on the high fields of green Claramore
Or hear the brown lark sing as upwards he fly
Above Clara Mountain a musical speck in the  sky
The Athenian loves Athens the Roman loves Rome
And i love Claraghatlea it was my first home
But the  old fields i loved i may not see again
And only the memories of what was with me now remain
Of Millstreet in Duhallow in sky miles far away
From Koroit in south west Victoria where i live today
Yet in fancy i can hear the male robin sing
For to proclaim his nesting borders in the early Spring
And  Nature's flowers in their billions in the fields to be seen
And the bluebells are in bloom on the ditch of bohreen.

Since I Have My Own Cares

Since i have my own cares to worry about
The problems of others i can live without
In life i've made a few friends and i'm not without foes
And i too have known of my financial woes
An acquaintance of mine to me did complain
That of late he has known of financial pain
He lost five thousand dollars in a business deal not much to a multi mllionaire
For him any sympathy i cannot spare
Of poverty suppose there is more than one kind
And his sort of poverty is of the mind
Some wealthy people worry though their worries are small
Whilst some doing it tough never worry at all
A multi millionaire over a five  thousand dollar loss he did complain
To him such a small thing is financial pain.

Words Of A Wise One

A wise one  than most people wiser by far
Once said you are not the person even your friends think you are
Or not the person yourself think you are but the person you happen to be
Though such thinking would not be popular with the  majority would you not agree
And since of ego in death we will only be free
The words of the wise one does make sense to me
A false image of self most of us do hide behind
They are a dwindling minority the self effacing kind
When i look in my mirror the bloke there i do see
Is just a false image of the one known as me
When i think i am humble to myself i do lie
As a stranger to myself i will live till i die
You are who you really are to me that seems right
Wise words from a  person blessed with the gift of insight.

Yesterday Was A Scorcher

Yesterday a record warm Autumn day for south western Victoria over forty degrees
Of warm sunshine and  humidity and an extremely warm breeze
Today it is twenty degrees for March a pleasant day
This does seem like Climate Change to me anyway
Since  the rapidly changing weather temperatures does seem rather strange
This all has to do it does seem with Climate Change
Yet dirty factory chimneys puffing black smoke to the sky
No lessons  learned from rapidly changing weather patterns one must wonder why
But us humans to learn from our past mistakes as ever seem quite slow
Though the threat on our existence to us by Nature on our abuse of her Planet everyday does grow
In eathhquakes, tsunamis, storms and fire and flood
Her justified anger to us at our environmental practices by us seem misunderstood
Yesterday was a scorcher today is nice and cool
In towns of the Moyne Shire and the City of Warrnambool.

Where Silence Is Enforced

I have opposed all sorts of injustices over a period of time
But only in words and so few read my rhyme
Serious crimes against humanity in some Countries Worldwide
Where of basic human rights people are denied

Where in fear of imprisonment or torture or worse people too scared to speak out
Silence can often be the best option when fear is about
The one brave enough to speak out is imprisoned and tortured or murdered or is forced to flee
For to live the life of a Stateless refugee

The people by fear stripped of all personal power
Under their despotic leaders in silence do cower
Too scared of their ruthless regimes in public truthful words for to say
This is how they must live till their lives final day

Of the rights of justice  for all in my rhymes i do sing
An injustice of any sort is such a vile thing
Of crimes against humanity by despotic regimes against their people we read of and hear
Where silence is enforced by the medium of fear.

To Many I Loved

To many i loved the wanderlust would have made a stranger of me
Many friends of the past i may never more see
They live north of here by old hills far away
I have not seen or spoken to them for many a day
That time has become my foe does seem fair to say
The hair on my balding head silvery gray
Few friends of my boyhood were i to meet them me would  recognize
We do age much faster than we realize
The boy of the fifties the years on him show
He is not the one his school friends used to know
I only recall them as they used to be
Time to them would have made a stranger of me
We live in the now and the past it has gone
And only the  memories of what was live on.

Whether

Whether you are buried as entire or your bodily remains to ash do burn
You are of Nature and to her you will return
Though many with this assumption may well disagree
At least anyhow that's how it seems  to me
As much as the animals, birds,fish and insects  to Nature we belong
This is how i see it though i may be wrong
For our very survival on Nature we depend
Though us  human kind to her are not a good friend
Nature the one who can create a thing of great beauty like a tree or a flower
In reality is the only World true super power
When she grows angry she spreads grief and dread
And leaves buildings in rubble and many injured and dead
Though when i tell some people Nature is my god
They look on me as one who is rather odd.

Charlie O Sullivan

Charlie O Sullivan was born and raised in Kilcorney he and his  wife Anna and their children for many years lived in Millstreet
I remember him as a nice and gentle person he always was a pleasure for to meet
For many years the O Sullivan family have lived near Midleton in east Cork from Duhallow in distance not that far
In the twenty first century by road not a  long journey perhaps an hour and not much more by car

It must have been thirty years since i last met Charlie and thirty years in time is quite a span
So calm and relaxed one never in a hurry there was so much to like about the man
His leaving Millstreet a regret to all who knew  him but to grow old elsewhere his life's destiny
It is so sad to learn of his passing he will be sadly missed by his many friends and his family

In a Human World where material success is seen as the in thing people like Charlie are becoming rare
He was indeed a very selfless person for others he always had the time to spare
He had an aura of calmness about him and to his  higher self he was one who was  true
If you were in need of helping he would have been one to help you and that is  for to give the man his due

Since Charlie and Anna and their family the Killarney road took leave of so many weeks and months in time have gone
By those who knew him in Millstreet well remembered where today good memories of him do live on
This life we live for all of us a journey and for all of us a final night and day
And  Charlie O Sullivan of himself left us with good memories by good example he did lead the way.

On Gray Butcherbirds

Though it is  early Autumn many weeks from the Spring
In the wood by the hill the gray butcherbird sing
He sings every day of the year at daybreak
And his bubbling type song one could never mistake
They hook their prey on thorns hence their butcherbird name
Quite vicious by nature their type hard to tame
In their breeding Season they even attack humans walking in their territory
They defend their borders quite aggressively
With sharp hook on bill for tearing up prey
To kill and  eat smaller creatures is their natural way
Known to be  sedentary far from home they seldom fly
From other species of butcherbirds not hard to identify
With sharp hook on bill and feathers dark brown and gray
To defend their teritory with aggression is their natural way.

Every Writer Is Needed

Though every writer needed in the wordsmith trade
Many writers from the memory does seem quick to fade
Good writers not many great writers so few
To this you may say tell us something that is new
Not every great writer dies as a millionaire
Some of them are spendthrifts and their fortune with others do share
But the majority of writers write for enjoyment little else more
In the wordsmith trade hobby writers by the score
Yes not every writer has the will to succeed
For to become wealthy and famous they do not have that need
Most of the wealthy and famous writers made  it the hard way
Far easier ways than writing for  to earn one's pay
And though not every writer is known to make the grade
Every writer is needed in the wordsmith trade.

Campbell The Swaggie

Australia's best known swagman with lots of head and facial gray hair
Which does help to protect him from the sun and wind from his life in the open air
He is known as Campbell The Swaggie one  who has walked many a mile
One who always does seem happy it is never hard for him to smile

At music festivals in south east Australia one who is widely known
As a  character in his  own right his legend it has  grown
He recites ballads and poetry and he does  dance and sing
Yet of life and the World he  never asks of a thing

Of his travels in Australia one with heaps of stories for to tell
Yet for one who lives the hard life he does look rather well
Far from a well dressed person though he looks distinguished just the same
Amongst Australia's swagmen his  is a legendary name

One of the last of a dying breed his type of person rare
One who has many poems and stories with others for to share
When Campbell is in the mood to entertain it is  not for fame or pay
He just spreads the gift of happiness in his own kindly way.

Music, Dancing and Song

Thanks be to for music and dancing and song
To the greater gods they surely does belong
As much as to the hearts of the young girl and the young boy
To the aging they too bring great moments of joy
They do not have a culture and are  known Worldwide
Music, dancing and song cross the  cultural divide
As the  sources of happiness and joy they are known
Music, dancing and song do have charm of their own
They bring joy and laughter to many a face
Without them the Human World to live in would be a far sadder place
They bring people together break cultural and racial barriers down
And are present Worldwide in every city and village and town
Music, dancing and song the marvelous three
At least anyhow that's how they seem to me.

In Baxters Land

In Baxters Land from here far away
The grey roos seemingly box with each other in the  grey dawn of day
And the flutes of the magpies melodious and clear
The birds who does sing every day of the year
The loud cry of the moorhen in Baxters Lake
The harsh quacks of the black duck and the soft calls of the drake
I have not been in Wonthaggi for many a year
Though in fancy old Baxters Land to me is near
Were i a poet of Baxters Land a poem i would write
For others to read and enjoy and recite
The safe haven for Nature's creatures near Wonthaggi Town
Though for it's natural rugged beauty a stranger to renown
Not a tourist attraction attraction or not widely known
But it does have a natural charm of it's own.

When

When the groves of Duhallow are leafy and green
And the bluebells in bloom on the ditch of bohreen
And the hawthorns are cloaked in their white blossoms of May
My thoughts often go to old fields far away

When the dunnock and wren sing in the hedgerow
Near where babbling Finnow to the Blackwater flow
And  the flute of the curlew echoes in the sky
Above the brown bog as he circle and fly

When the skylark to herald the northern Spring
High above the green bracken does carol and sing
And swallows home to breed from warm lands far away
Chase flying insects above  the fields in the bright light of day

When the robins provide for their young family
And the chaffinch does sing on the  leafy birch tree
My thoughts  do return to the fields by the hill
And in fancy i hear the babble of the rill

When the cattle out of Wintering sheds weight by the day gain
On grass that is lush after recent Spring rain
The memories of what was till death we will retain
And the past can be nice for to visit again.

The Star Ballroom

It has been close to if not four decades since people danced in Dominic Mac's Star Ballroom in time quite a span
This is going back the years to when i was a young man
The famed Star Club in Millstreet Town where love stories began
Time eventually strips everybody of youthful elan

Many of the young people back then are grandparents today
And some of them amongst life's departed forever at rest do lay
On Thursday they danced in the Star Ballroom in the  Town of Millstreet
Long before time took the spring out of their aging feet

The Star Ballroom in Millstreet is now a thing of the past
As is often said about life few things in time does last
And only the memories are ours for to retain
Of something that was but never will be again

Not all of the  love stories that began in Millstreet have withstood the test of time
Since people fall in and out of love often in their life's prime
And so many love stories known to end in tears
And all but fade  from the memory of the near forgotten years

In those who danced in the Star Ballroom till the small hours of Friday the memories live on
Of the era of the showband in a time that is forever gone
We do live in the now and the past it is  just a memory
Of a time that was and never more will be.

Ann

A grandmother in her early fifties and without a man
The years start to tell on the aging one Ann
Though she uses hair dye for to cloak her gray
She has lost some of her beaauty of a bygone day
Her two former husbands Jimmy and Ted
Though not good providers or faithful were quite good in bed
Both of them re-married with younger women today
Though aging weakens virility as some like  to say
As for Ann she has lost faith in men she does age on her own
She feels two unfaithful men is enough of men to have known
She was quite attractive when in her life's prime
But she like all others becoming a victim of time
A mother to four and grandmother to nine and to two men a wife
But Ann is aging without a  man in her life.

Warm For Early March

The day is warm for early March some thirty two degrees
And warmth in the sunshine and warmth in the breeze
But the birds that sing in all Seasons sometimes at night and every day
The Aussie magpies singing in the park by the bay
The thing that is known as Climate Change quite evident this year
Who would believe that weather-wise the Winter days are near
The weather changes quickly it seems  this way of late
Human pollution of the natural environment weather mood swings does  create
For the changeable weather patterns humans are in part to blame
Our abuse of our natural environment is to our great shame
It does seem the future generations of people for our mistakes must pay
And  this in itself does seem quite a sad thing to say
The weather for March in early Autumn warmer than usual it does seem so
By our treatment of her we have chosen to make Mother Nature our foe.

She Died Near The Highway

She died near the highway three miles from Camperdown
The beautiful young woman in her mid twenties with dark hair and eyes of brown
Her front right tyre received a blowout and her car swerved and hit a tree
Death for her instantenous things in life can happen suddenly

An only child her parents grieve her passing in Kabul in Afghanistan
She fled the homeland  as a refugee from the treacherous Taliban
She had the courage to oppose them her's was not a silent voice
But in fear of losing her life she fled her homeland she did not have any choice

For one  to want a safer and a better life should never be a  crime
She  spent two years in Woomera Detention Centre in such a place quite a long time
Just when life for her was getting better she died by a highway
In the twilight of the evening of a sultry Summer's day

Her courage was the reason she became a refugee
From a death threat from The Taliban Afghanistan she had to flee
She never had the chance to mother children never was anyone's wife
She deserved a better ending to her sad and tragic life.

When Bailey Came Home

More excitement in the  O Sullivan household than for the election of a new Pope in Rome
When Bailey the family boxer female did come  home
The young back and white bitch had gone astray
But is happily re-united with her human family today
The return of a lost family pet always good to read of or hear
And the family joy at the homecoming of their pet does seem obviously clear
On the friendship and loyalty to you of your dog you can always depend
Your dog till death remains your true and faithful friend
People who have lost family pets does miss them for years
And the loss of one's dog can reduce one to tears
For a walk and a few pats and a good feed every day
Your dog as a  friend for a lifetime will stay
More excitement in the O Sullivan household when Bailey came home
Than for the election of a  new Pontiff in Rome.

The Absent Young Rose Of Koroit

With shoulder length wavy hair of nuggety brown
The absent young rose of old Koroit Town
She works and lives in Melbourne enjoying the City way of life
If she decides to marry some lucky man will have a beautiful wife
Koroit's absent young rose with eyes of dark brown
Is one who is missed in the old south west Town
Though quite beautiful charming and a joy for to meet
Just a very nice person and free of conceit
What is a loss to Koroit is Melbourne's gain
Yet memories of her beauty with those who knew her a lifetime will remain
Near the prime of her life she has turned twenty three
Of any cares she is one who does seem free
From Koroit the bug of the wander did lure her away
And she is working and living in Melbourne today.

The Greedy Few

The mineral wealth of the Country claimed by the greedy few
You may say to this tell us what is new
It is said about greed that much does crave more
Another thing you would have heard of before
Though their fair share of taxes they never does pay
To grumble of taxes is the wealthy way
The more they seem to have the  more they seem to need
It can be obsessive this thing known as greed
The gap between the haves and the have nots how wide it has grown
Seventy per cent of the wealth of the Country the few seem to own
When many far too many live in poverty
This does seem all wrong would you not agree?
The  majority of the Country's wealth is  owned by the  few
To this you may well say we already knew.

What Is Life About

What is life about i will not try to pretend
Only know for humans like all life forms there's a beginning and an end
On how long they lived only suicide victims had the say
Though for all of us a final night and  day
For humans is there a life after bodily death i for one would not know
The mystery surrounding this does only seem to grow
Though many believe in a Heaven and Hell in a World beyond the sky
Where post bodily death the soul has wings to for to fly
To live an eternal life of happiness or woe
But what one  believes in is not always so
Since any deceased person has not come back to tell
Of an afterlife of a Heaven or a Hell
Only know for me there is a final Fall
But having said that this applies to all.

Peg Healy

Born and raised as Peg Lynch in Cullen in Duhallow
But in Murphy's Terrace in Millstreet she lived most of her life
She was a good mother to her very large family
And to Paddy Healy a devoted wife

Her family and her friends will surely grieve her passing
Though she must have been getting on in years
I reckon she must have been close to ninety
But she was one worthy of parting tears

A role model to her children and grandchildren
It was by good example she did lead
One more good person from Millstreet gone  forever
The notice of her passing it was sad to read

In Murphy's Terrace and the Town of Millstreet
For many years her's was a familiar face
Millstreet was far better for her living in it
And in her role in her family none for to take her place

I knew her in my younger years in Millstreet
To everyone there Peg Healy was well known
Her great claim to fame was to live as a good person
And  she was truly one of Millstreet's own

You can only do the best with the life you are given
This is how it is and it will always be
And Peg's life was a success she lived as a good person
As all who knew her surely would agree

The  longest lived human life in time is  not a long one
This is how it is and it has always been this way
Peg Healy may she rest in peace forever
By Cashman's Hill where her last remains does lay.

Money Does Speak Every Language

Money does speak every language why otherwise pretend
Anyone who has heaps of it never seems short of a friend
This is how it has been always and always will be
Short of friends and short of money is the price of poverty
That money cannot buy you happiness so happens to be true
Though to be homeless and without a friend should not be anybody's due
But this is how it is with life and it does seem sad to say
That the  once  millionaire now bankrupt did have many friends but does not have a friend today
That with money speaks every language some may not agree
But that money can and does wonders for one seems obvious to me
The fact that love of money can lead to corruption so very true indeed
It's sibling also quite well known by the name of material greed
The praises  of those with heaps of money so many like to sing
But as is often said about it in life it is not everything.

Ill Gotten Gains

We all have our journeys in life for to make
And we do pay some  price for our every mistake
And in life we  must learn on how to give to receive
On such a philosophy i do believe
This is what i believe in though yet nonetheless
Many greedy people know of material and financial success
They take and they take and in return nothing give
But they have heaps of money and the good life do live
From the financial losses of others they have been known to gain
Which does seem way beyond me for to explain
They sow the seeds of bad karma yet do not reap what they sow
Their material wealth only does seem to grow
But to them karma will come for to visit one day
Since for ill gotten gains there is some  price to pay.

A Hungry Belly Game

In penning rhyme for me there is no money it is what is known as a  'hungry belly game'
To have penned thousands of individual pieces this is my only claim to fame
I only write rhymes now for my own enjoyment and email them to an internet literary site
The stuff i pen to say the least is simple the type of stuff that anyone could write
The sound of rhyming words to me appealing it has been awhile since i penned my first rhyme
That is going back to the early nineteen seventies one might say this is going way back in time
The passing years have left me walking slower old age on us so quickly seems to show
Each day we live one nearer to our last day and when that will be is not for us to know
And though getting on in years not tired of rhyming it is something i could never give away
It is something that i thoroughly enjoy doing and self enjoyment compensates for lack of pay
Though some tell me i have  more than enough written and i have said all that one should have to say
I only hope that rhymes i will be writing up to the last hour of my final day
On penning rhyme for me  not any money i find it 'a hungry belly game' and nothing more
But i always do feel happy when i'm rhyming something that you may have heard me say before.

At Gorman's Beach

At Gorman's Beach there's never many people
Even on warm Summer days few there ever one does see
A quiet broad beach but hardly an attraction
Though one has to wonder how come  this could be?

The strong currents there perhaps makes it dangerous for swimming
Perhaps the word on this has got around
That nearby far safer places to swim in
Than Gorman's Beach where huge surf waves even at low tide the beach does pound

On Gorman's Beach a large body of water known as Rutledge Cutting
That is cut off from the sea by the high bank of sand
The stagnant water in it seems quite salty
Due to it's proximity to the ocean not hard to understand

At Gorman's Beach no shortage of Arctic waders
Some turnstone and large flocks of sanderling
They arrive there in early September
As some of the first migrants of the southern Spring

At Gorman's Beach there's never many people
Not even on the Summer's nicest day
It is said it is not a  safe place to swim in
And far safer beaches a short drive away.

The Grief Of A Mother

He was the only offspring that she ever had
The son she raised without any help from his dad
He had a fast car which he used to drive fast
The car and by far sadder it's owner are now of the past
His car left the roadway and crashed into a big tree
It is said he did not suffer he died instantly
A young man near his prime he had just turned twenty three
How tragic and sad for his  mum it must be
She will not be a grandmother and she will grow old  on her own
Such heavy crosses in life this poor woman has known
He drew his last breath six years ago today
By a tree near a bend on a narrow roadway
His fifty five year old mother remembers him in tears
The grief of loss is still with her despite the passing of the years.

For March It Is Warm

For March it is warm close to forty degrees
And  warmth in the sunshine and warmth in the  breeze
That blow in the  park in the town by the bay
For Autumn it is such a very warm day
Around the flowering ivy on the trunks of the trees
The soft humming buzzings of nectar gathering bees
And dark swallows chasing flying insects does chirp as they fly
And  white butterflies seemingly dancing in the sunny sky
And the birds who do sing every day of the year
The flutes of the magpies melodious and clear
A few days back in the low twenties the weather acting strange
It must be this thing that's known as Climate Change
In the blue and sunny sky just a few clouds of gray
For Autumn and March it is such a  warm day.

Spiritually Poor People

To many the amateur writer of rhyme
Is one who is wasting his or her time
To them anyone who does something without pay
Are wasting their time they do see it this way
Any hobby to them is not a good idea
Since such things does not pay for your family's high class restaurant tea
They judge you by your financial income and material assets the value of your big house and new car
But never of the sort of person that you really are
The praises of someone doing something for nothing they never could sing
To them it is just not a natural thing
They see people who without pay help poor people of helping in need
As silly people quite silly indeed
As spirtitually poor people they do seem this way
Show them a flowering garden and they only see decay.

In The Human World

In the Human World far more good than bad people
So many who are quite caring and kind
As the wise one said in the very worst of people
A little bit of goodness you will find

The fellow born into and raised by abusive parents
Who has never known of kindness in his early life
Who as a boy for no reason by his parents often beaten
Will more than likely beat his own children and wife

The example of the role models of our young years we do follow
Your upbringing helps to shape the sort of person that you are
If you knew of abuse in your young years
Through life  your mind does bear a mental scar

In the Human World there are many good people
Though many do live in their own mental hell
Of the abuse they knew of in their childhood
They have the saddest of stories for to tell.

The Man From Rutherglen

Standing over two metres in physique a man amongst men
A shy sort of a fellow the man from Rutherglen
He is not a troublemaker not that sort of a bloke
But he is not the type of person that one ought to provoke
On his way home from the pub one night on the dimly lit streets of town
Three young thugs in their early twenties tried to rob him one by one he  knocked them down
They had picked on the wrong one to rob for our mistakes we pay
They will not bother him again from him they will keep away
The word on him has got around that he is not one with to mess
For cocky in his twenties bloke who wishes to display his brawling prowess
With a partner and two young daughters he works hard for his pay
On friday evening a few beers after work he drinks in moderation one might say
A huge and  muscular fellow physically a man amongst men
A long way north of his first home  the man from Rutherglen.

On Unconditional Love

Of love  the poets write and the singers do sing
But love without conditions amongst humans is such a rare thing
Few hmans unconditional love to their partners do give
Though your dog will love you unconditionally for as long as she or he live
For a few pats and a feed every day your dog to you will remain true
Our dogs are our best friends that's to give them their due
For as long as she or he lives your dog as your friend will remain
Why your dog gives you unconditional love is beyond me to explain
The man he may lose the love of his wife
But his dog will remain faithful to him for life
On your dog as an ally you can depend
On him or her you do not have a better friend
Uncoditional love between human beings  it is quite a rare thing
Though love the writers write about and of love the singers sing.

From Here Far North

From here far north thousands of sky miles away
The place where i first saw the bright lamp of day
I wonder there does the  dipper still sing in the rill
That flows in the fields in view of Clara Hill?

The dark brown water birds with breasts white as snow
 A water life the only life that they do know
They sing a distinctive scratchy sort of a song
You hear them sing once and you never again get them wrong

Where i grew to love Nature when i was a boy
And learning of her ways today i enjoy
And my wonder of her ways only seem to grow
Yet so little about her i can claim to know

Far north of this Country my life's journey began
And  there from a boy i grew into a man
But the past just a memory and the future ahead
And  the now is all that matters as has often been said.

Alice Herz Sommer

The world to her is a beautiful place
She only sees beauty in every face
Of hatred of anyone completely free
Perhaps one reason she lives on though born in nineteen hundred and three

Alice Herz Sommer the oldest living Holocaust survivor as one  true to the higher self live
Those who have sinned against her she does forgive
She only sees beauty in everyone
Even those who to her awful things had done

A person who refuses to harbour a grudge
She does not set herself up to be anyone's judge
For her own good Karma she plants the good seed
Of more of her kind the Human World is in need

Against those who sinned against her not bitter in any sort of a  way
The woman who survived the World War 2 concentration camps and lives on today
A role model for forgiveness, compassion and kindness though in war the worst sort of abuse she knew
Her sort of person sad to say in the few

She can only see beauty what a great way to be
Quite an amazing person she does seem to me
In the  field of good example the way she does lead
The story of her life would make a great read.

In All things In Life

Your worth as a writer you sometimes may doubt
But always something for you for to write about
And those who do try hardest in life does succeed
The most successful of writers for success have the  need
Success will not come to you if for it you do not try your best
For to become a successful writer you must try again if you fail your first test
But if you only write for self enjoyment that too is okay
In life it is  each to their own as some do like to say
But every writer is needed in the great Wordsmith trade
Though for one to be successul many into anonymity does fade
In all things in life it is much the  same
It can be a hard climb to wealth and to fame
But all good things do come to those who do wait
And with belief in self you have to keep the faith.

Riches To Rags

Five years ago one of the wealthy men of the town
But now declared bankrupt and financially down
The bank has re-possessed his big new home and his car
It is when you are down you know who your friends are

His marriage ended in divorce his wife and their two young daughters in a town far away
It is said she has an older wealthy man in her life today
When the going on him got financially tough with him she did not stay
Money speaks every language as some do like to say

In a cheap bedsitter flat rental surviving on welfare
Riches to rags stories nowadays are not even rare
Forsaken by all of his wealthy friends he is now on his own
Nowadays they ignore him as if him they had never known

Only in his mid thirties a  once wealthy man
All things in life do not always go to plan
A business deal gone wrong left him in a  financial mess
He once had many admirers but nowadays none he does impress.

My Heroes And Heroines

My heroes and heroines are not celebrated yet they are compassionate and caring and kind
Their type are rare and getting rarer since to selflessness they are inclined
They work to help the poorest of people for love of humanity not pay
Yet for their work they are taken for granted and this does seem a sad thing to say

They work for the  Stateless and homeless yet they do remain as unsung
Some in mid life and some aging and some  of them energetic and young
To helping the poor and the needy their time without pay they devote
But they never make the news headlines the greedy than them seen to be more worthy of note

My heroes and heroines good people they perform their good deeds every day
Helping the poor of the poor suburb or in refugee camps from here far away
The World better for them living in it to their higher selves they are true
For themselves they sow the seeds of good karma and good things in life is  their due

My heroes and heroines always helping the people that governments choose to disown
The people by many forgotten from birth great hardships they have known
They are extraordinary people and they deserve the title of great
Yet it is the self centred and the power hungry that the masses do celebrate.

Death Makes Us Equal

Since for each one of us  there's a last night and day
Death does make us equal it does seem this way
The living pauper is better off than the celebrated dead
Where there is life there is hope as has often been said
You may be a company director an aristocrat of the town
And in the World of success have carved your own renown
But the reaper on your life has the final say
And to the poor of the town make you equal one day
At the end  of life's journey the monarch can only be the same
As the one who dies without a penny to his or her name
Death makes us all equal on such i believe
Though on the passing of the celebrated one many may grieve
Yes death makes us equal i hold to be true
And despite your successes it becomes your due.

Some So Called True Patriots

 Some so called true patriots the flag of their Country do wave
To honour the young who in war have died brave
But for me true patriots fight to save the trees from the chainsaw
And in so doing risk a term in prison by breaking human made law
Those who love  their country love every tree
They are the true patriots it does seem to me
They never fight under their Nation's flag in Lands far away
But on the destruction of Nature's beauty they do have their say
My sort of true patriots do love their Country far more
Than those who fight in war for it on a foreign shore
They fight in a verbal way against greedy developers who cut the old trees down
To build more factories and houses on the outskirts of town
You have your opinions and that suits me fine
But your idea of a true patriot is quite different to mine.

Crime Does Pay

Human made laws have been known for to fail
Since the world's greatest criminals are not in jail
They attend lavish parties in the  best of restaurants dine
And they only drink the most expensive wine

Whoever did tell you that crime does not pay
In the twenty first century it is not this way
Few ever in prison are known to serve time
For what has become known as corporate crime

The desire for more money instil in some people greed
And the more money some do have the more they seem to need
Few drug barons in prison have ever served time
Though they have ruined many young lives and have grown wealthy by crime

Far too many wealthy people out of crime doing quite well
Whilst millions of poor honest people live life in earthly hell
That this  is all wrong would you not agree
At least anyhow that's how  it seems to me

For some in big business corporate crime the in thing of today
A quick way to huge fortunes despite what some do say
The World's wealthiest criminals not behind prison bars
They are driven to parties and functions in chauffeur driven cars.

The Coming Of Autumn

At 12 am the Autumn in her cloak of brown
Will quietly steal into the park of the town
The last day of the calendar Summer a changeable day
The sun at times behind dark gray clouds is hidden away
Tomorrow will be the first day of the southern Fall
And the magpie larks in the town park will call
Their familiar call song pee wee pee wee
The birds who build cup shaped nest of mud on low branch of tree
And by the weather forecast tomorrow will be warm and fine
In weather temperatures in the low twenties with spells of sunshine
At midnight the Autumn in brown on silent feet
Will creep into the park from the dimly lit street
And the pipe of the magpie in the dawning gray
Will welcome the birth of another new day.

All I Can Be

My first homeplace i have not seen for years
And for what was i have shed my nostalgic tears
And the past like every yesterday to the forever gone
But the memories of what was in me does live on

From late Fall in Duhallow to the early Spring
In the cold and wet weather the birds never sing
And the rivers often bank high in the rushy fields flow
And the Boggeragh hills often covered in snow

But late Spring in Duhallow a nice time of year
And the song of the blackbird so pleasant to hear
The cattle out from wintering shed gaining weight by the day
When the hawthorns are cloaked in their white blooms of the May

Where many used to claim me as one of their own
Nowadays to most Claraghatlea residents i would not be known
A stranger to many where i lived my boyhood and prime
Great changes occur with the passing of time

Though they remain as i knew them in my memory
The old fields i loved i may never more see
And though my years of absence from there may have made a stranger of me
A Claraghatlea fellow is all i can be.

You Give To Receive

You help some poor person in need of helping without asking for pay
And just consider it to be your good deed of the day
For this you will receive good karma for this is your due
On such a belief i believe to be true

Poor quality seed into a good crop does not grow
In life it is true we do eventually reap what we sow
Many with such thinking may well disagree
But i only say it as it does seem to me

Some greedy people for themselves the poor seeds of bad karma have sown
And at the expense of others their material and financial wealth has grown
But eventually karma will visit them on some future day
What goes around comes around as some do say

In life as we live we do give to receive
On such a philosophy i do believe
You help some poor person of helping in need
Of your future good karma you are planting the seed.

It Is That Sort Of Town

Where everyone knows everyone it is that sort of town
And for everyone who is good at sports there is local renown
Where many look on you with suspicion if to them you are not well known
In where it is looked on as an honor to be called one of our own
Where those who are wealthy in a material way many do impress
And where those having heaps of money are seen as a great success
And where few do wish to know of those who in their luck are down
In where everyone knows everyone it is that sort of town
Like everywhere where everyone knows everyone  as a town it's much the same
To be good at sports or successful in your business your ticket to local fame
They judge you better by the size of  your new house or new car
Than the values that you hold in life or the sort of person that you are
Where sports stars are looked up to as well as every millionaire
The towns where everyone knows everyone as ever are not rare.

The Best You Can Be

On the ladder of success he is one who has climbed far
But do not envy him his great job and new car
You are quite as good as him in your own way
Though he takes home than you a bigger week's pay
You can only be the best that you can be
You work hard for your wages and live honestly
You sow the seeds of good karma for yourself every day
Success can be relative as the wise are known to say
You may be one of the unsung of the town
But in word or deed you never put anyone down
Some people in their successful accumulation of material gain
Inflict on some others great financial pain
But you are not this way you live and let live
And to one in need of help your help you will give.

On Woodlice

Behind bark of old timber going to natural decay
The woodlice do hide from the bright lamp of day
Safe from the rain and the cold and the storm
Their duties in Nature in silence they perform
In the countryside and in the backyards of the town
Piles of rubbish mostly timber they help to break down
Though they do help to lessen the impact of fire
To write of them few writers feel the desire
Tiny gray armadillo shaped crawling insects they never bite or sting
But few people ever their praises do sing
For breaking down of decaying matter by Nature designed
And by lessening fire hazard they are friends of human kind
Behind bark of old logs from sunlight and predators hidden away
Crawling insects known to live on natural decay.

On A Question Of Long Bill Corellas

He asked me why long bill corellas call out in the sky
High above the town in large flocks as they fly
My ignorance on this i did not even attempt to deny
I answered his question with an i do not know why
Long bill corellas behave in  such a way
Though i see them and hear them calling every day
On tall trees in the park or above the paddocks by the town
To flock in large numbers one of their claims to bird renown
But one thing of long bill corellas i have come to know
That within their small range their flocks in numbers do grow
But due to smaller living territories they remain on the protected list
As those who know far more about birds than i do insist
That on the protected list they do stay
These birds i know of and see and hear every day.

Old Kenny

The years telling on him he is eighty three
And the land of his birth he may never more see
The hair on his balding head is silver gray
And clearly he has known a far better day

Like to everyone time it has become his foe
He is not the man he was decades ago
Since he left old Scotland where his life's journey began
Fit and strong and healthy as a twenty two year old man

Ten times a grandfather his best years long gone
But the will in Kenny remains strong to live on
Ten years ago to cancer he lost June his beloved Aussie wife
The best friend that he ever did have in life

Somethings from the past most people retain
His strong Scottish accent with him does remain
A man who like a few beers as well as music, dance and song
On Saturday at the pub he does enjoy the sing along

From his first home in northern Scotland he lives far away
But in Australia he will spend his last night and day
Old Kenny feels resigned that he will never more
See the Atlantic waves splashing on Scotland's shore.

The Beauty In Nature

The beauty in Nature is for all to admire
And of singing her praises one never could tire
I marvel at the beauty that is all around me
The unrivaled beauty i do not pay to see

The little dark crickets are singing today
Their songs tell that rain and storm is on the way
And the white long bill corellas call out as they fly
Across the gray clouds of the changeable sky

Of Nature's ways little i can claim to know
But my wonderment of her only seems to grow
We take and take from her and in return to her little give
The one that we all depend on for to live

Deep in her dark bosom great wealth does abound
That greedy men for to get at does dig in her ground
Those of us who think we own Nature have got it all wrong
Since we are a life form of her's and to her we belong

For her on our survival we must depend
Yet we do not treat her as our greatest friend
We are born as mortals why otherwise pretend
And to her we return when our life's journey end.

Old Wannon

How old is this Country would anyone know
The old brown paddocks where Wannon does flow
On towards the Pacific many miles away
It ripples and babbles by night and by day

It was old in the age of the dinosaur and the dreaming time
This old Land that has inspired story and rhyme
The old Wannon has flowed forever and will forever more
Through the old brown country to the Pacific shore

In Summer by the banks of the river in the shade of the trees
Australia's first people danced their corroborees
But what used to be is no longer so
As they danced their last dance many centuries ago

In the home of the corella and white cockatoo
And the shy bush wallaby and grey kangaroo
In paddocks many miles from the nearest big town
Old Wannon flows onwards in waters of brown

Long before Australia's first dancers danced to the sound of the didgeridoo
And even long before the birth of the first kangaroo
Old wannon in the brown country did flow
And how old is Australia would anyone know?

A Day In Late February

This morning behind gray clouds the sun hidden away
But it has turned out to be such a nice day
The sun out and shining with a freshening breeze
In temperatures of near to perfect of around twenty degrees
So pleasant to hear in the sunlit town-park
The familiar song of the magpie lark
And the laughter of the children enjoying their play
Utopia from here cannot be far away
A poet of such natural beauty would write
A poem for others to read and enjoy and recite
And an artist of such a scene to sketch would feel inspired
The beauty of Nature free to be admired
And the willy wagtail on the lookout for flies perched on a garden wall
Just four days away from the Southern Fall.

Whether It Be

Whether it be good things or bad things some in their judgemental way
Of you the judgemental will always find some thing to say
Though judgemental words can leave a mental scar
Suppose the judgemental cannot help the way that they are
Since to pass judgement on others they feel as their right
The judgemental mind starved of spiritual light
Though many of their judgements are not very fair
Their views in public they are happy to air
They believe on a fair go for some but not for all
In their ways of thinking some people are small
Suppose in the Human World one does meet every kind
And no shortage amongst them of the judgemental incline
Suppose people are what they are and this is all they can be
And most on most things do never agree.

For Many

For many life is a great battle in their luck financially down
They sleep in the parks without blankets in the poorer side of the town
They buy the cheap wine from the alcohol store that they drink in the warmth of the day
The people without friends of influence do live in the toughest way
The social gap between them and the wealthy to say the least it is great
The poor of the poverty suburb the people none do celebrate
By their circumstance of birth disadvantaged the children of the lesser gods
It seems the reason they were born to life is that they must battle the odds
The people who talk of life's choices do not know what they are on about
They never do think before speaking they just waffle on through the mouth
Their circumstance of birth is not their fault it was something beyond their control
The children born of very poor parents start life in a financial hole
Those who do cast aspersions on them are devoid of any empathy
And as well they are quite judgemental  which proves how spiritually poor they must be.

Compassion And Kindness

Of the compassionate and kind the praises i like to sing
To be blessed with such great gifts is such a great thing
They sow their good seeds of karma every day
And for to help those in need of helping go out of their way
The good side of humanity these people embrace
And for them living in it the World a better place
But sad to say their kind are in the too few
On saying this i'm not saying anything that is new
In a World where many wealthy people live for themselves and their own
People who from kindness and compassion far apart have grown
But that everyone is different so happens to be true
And the fruits of the seeds that we sow eventually becomes our due
But the people of compassion and kindness are good people indeed
They will receive their rewards of planting their good seed.

I No Longer Pine

I no longer pine for my first home near Millstreet
Or the old rushy fields where the rivers do meet
Where Finnow from Gneeves to the Blackwater flow
In the home of the badger and the silver back crow

I recall the song of the curlew in May
His pleasant flute like notes are with me today
In fancy i hear him in a distant sky
Above the brown bogland he pipes as he fly

Where i used to daydream i might be a poet
A person well worthy of literary note
But daydreams are just that and seldom come true
And suppose i receive from life what is my due

In fancy the song of the dipper i hear
The river he sings in to me seems quite near
The dark brown water bird with breast as white as snow
One of  Nature's minstrels that i used to know

Where is she today the Rose of Millstreet Town
With blue eyes and shoulder length hair of wavy brown
She was Duhallow's beauty when i was a boy
Old memories remain as a source of joy.

Where I Was Raised

Where i was raised i heard many stories of nineteen sixteen
And the brave men shot to death for the gold, white and green
On Winter nights by old men around the peat fire
Of such stories back then i never could tire

In Easter nineteen sixteen in Dublin under a British firing squad they died
And true courage of them hardly can be denied
But Ireland's enemy back then is no longer her foe
And all of this happened a long time ago

Where I was raised many heroes of Gaelic Football
And many of them have lived their final Fall
And the rest are aging their best days long gone
But where i was raised life as usual goes on

Where i was raised was home to many a marvelous athlete
And against the best in the World they did compete
But time on them it did have the final say
And not many of them are living today

Where i was raised in late Spring and every Summer night
The corncrakes in the meadows could be heard in the moonlight
But long before i departed for a foreign shore
The voices of the migrant rails was heard no more

From where i was raised i live thousands of miles away
And time has left me feeling weary and gray
For me like all others a last night and day
And in the bosom of Nature my last remains will lay.

The Town's Middle Class Of Today

The children of the town's working class are the town's middle class of today
Some of them in their mid fifties in hair dye cover the aging gray
Their grandchildren play underage cricket and football and netball at the weekend they go for to watch them play
Family pride the side affects of self pride at least to me it seems this way

They are not the town's super wealthy though they live way above poverty
They never do go to bed hungry they do seem quite well off to me
They work in good jobs, drive good cars and live in good houses they are not short of anything
And quite conservative in their thinking to what they do believe in they do cling

The politicians to them do listen since their's is a huge voting block
The well to do middle class people the descendants of old working stock
Many of them in their words dismissive of the homeless and the refugees
Though most of them well educated and can boast of their uni degrees

Most of them do not vote for politicians with compassion and empathy
They vote for politicians who for the have nots  have little or no sympathy
Our politicians our reflective mirrors do tell of the people we are
For to meet one lacking in compassion one does not have to travel far

Some of the town's middle class are now aging though many of them not with much grace
With hair dyes and anti aging creams they cover the gray and wrinkles in the face
The politicians they vote for to them are like minded in empathy lacking 'twould seem
They look on people of compassion as people of low self esteem.

Some Tell Us

Some tell us from life we recieve what is our due
In some cases not all of this is often true
We sow the seeds of good karma when we give to receive
On such a philosophy i do believe
But having this said it is beyond me to explain
Why one person's loss is another one's gain
Some may tell you this is how life's meant to be
But why this should be so does seem puzzling to me
When i say the majority of the wealth of the Human World is owned by the few
You may say to this tell us something that is new
The greed of the wealthy minority poverty amongst many create
The poor in life have nothing to celebrate
The longest lived human life in time not a long span
On average the woman by a few years does outlive the man.

A Great Mind You Need Not Be

A great mind  you need not be or a genius of note
To realize how people think by the way they do vote
Australia's three major political parties are anti refugee
No need for you to ask why this should be
It should be as obvious to you as it is to me
That the majority of people are lacking in two of the great gifts of humanity
This is not an Aussie thing this is Worldwide
The  majority of people to them have a xenophobic side
People who talk of the fair go but in their ways are small
They believe on a fair go for their  own kind but not on a fair go for all
The way they vote tell you more of them than words could say
They vote for anti compassionate parties on election day
Suppose they cannot help the way that they are
For to meet the compassionless you need not walk far.

The Memories I Want To Forget

Until i die they will be with me the memories i want to forget
Of people i know and do not like and feel sorry them i've ever met
And  though i refuse to hate the  one who to me is a foe
That we do not have friends without enemies is a truthful saying it does seem so
I do not like them for who they are and i know that they do not like me
But what we dislike in self we dislike in others has some substance would you not agree
On going back the years on my life i have made a couple of foes
Though i did not intentionally wrong them i am not the  sort to step on toes
Not everyone you get to know can be your good friend as your good friends only a few
This  is something most are aware of and not anything that is new
And not everyone you dislike have wronged you that your financial loss has been their gain
Maybe this  has to do with your Karma for it seems beyond  me to explain
That you dislike one who has never financially harmed you or in any other sort of a way
But you regret that you do know this person and will until your dying day.

It Is Not Poetry

It is not poetry many literary experts say of rhyme
Though it was the poetry of a now long gone time
As dead as the dodo as some like to say
And the dodo has been dead for many a day

Rhyme had it's good days but few things do last
It does look like the day of the rhymer is now in the past
In future years years blank verse the now  in thing may well be dead
Of changes in the Literary World who knows what lay ahead

Back in the nineteen fifties when i was a schoolboy
Reading the rhyming poems of the old wordsmiths i used to enjoy
But blank verse in the twenty first century seen as the in thing
Of the praises of rhymers nowadays few do sing

It is not poetry many literary experts agree
Though lovers of rhyme will tell you differently
They believe that the  spirit of rhyme will rise from the dead
And will be the in thing of the decades ahead.

I Am A Man Of Little Power

I am a man of little power of that i am aware
My words for me  never reap financial reward the words i freely share
Though that does never bother me no not one  bit at all
Compared to some  my needs in life must seem so very small
I'm not into self promotion and am never likely to be
For self praise it cannot be  praise that's how it seems to me
So many like to self promote they like to make themselves known
This is how some people are but then to each their own
I am a man of little power but none can say of me
That i am not a person who does not have empathy
For the have nots of the Human World i do feel sympathy
For the hungry and the homeless and the Stateless refugee
That i am a man of little power does happen to be true
And perhaps i receive from life what only is my due.

The Voices Of My Daydreams

In my flights of fancy with Pudsy our brown cattle dog
I walk the  rushy meadows by Matty Owens bog
The hawthorns  cloaked in white blooms and May is in her prime
How great the gift of memory is it spans the years of time
The small brown lark is carolling as upwards he does fly
A tiny speck of music in the gray clouds of the sky
The dipper in the Finnow sings where the  rapids flow
The memories come to me of Nature's voices i used to know
And Nature is amazing in the eyes of a boy
And learning things about her even today i do enjoy
The voices of my daydreams come to me from the distant past
And nothing lasts forever and time does tick on fast
Pudsy she is long dead she was a faithful dog
In memory i walk with her in Matty Owens old bog.

Just Like Dad

He is following in his dad's footsteps he is working for dad's company
Of which his dad is a director this called keeping it in the family
He like dad wants to be company director he daydreams of such every day
When on success ladder you are on the first step the top seems a long climb for you away
Dad is the company director at the age of fifty four
And he is starting off just like father working on the factory floor
To make it to company director of him quite a tough climb ahead
So many disappointments in the realization of failure we have  heard of and read
In business for to be succesful as the saying goes you do step on toes
For his  dad to be a company director  he has created a few foes
Those successful in business to many are different the majority of them not known to be kind
It is hard for you not to be ruthless if you have success on your mind
He is follwing in his dad's footsteps dad's successes he wishes to emulate
But if he becomes as successful as dad is a few enemies for himself he will create.

In Retrospect

In retrospect the years do pass quickly and time all too soon becomes our foe
On looking back fifty years not long though to some that may seem long ago
I was a schoolboy of the fifties in the home  of the silver back crow
And starting to learn about Nature though little today of her i do know

When May came above the old bogland all night long in the darkened sky
The male snipe with his wings and tail made goat like sounds as he did fly
Perhaps some boy on the bog road on a calm evening in May
Will listen to as i did often to the snipe in his courtship display

The now is all that really does matter the past in the forever gone
And memories of it are all we have left and life as usual does go on
And in Nature and life many lessons we learn new  things  every day
Till we die we never stop learning as some have been known for to say

In retrospect the years do go quickly i am feeling the wear of time
The biological clock ever ticking in the early seventies i was in my physical prime
And like every other life form i too have ben born to die
But immortality for Nature is factual and fact as we know never lie.

Duhallow's Best

Pat O Callaghan of Derrygallon was Duhallow's best
The champion of champions when put to the test
In hammer throwing he broke World records and won two Olympic Gold
His greatness in song and in story is told

Kanturk's Mick Loughlin and John Mahony the Cork jersey did wear
As does Aiden Walsh now in his early twenties a star gaelic football player
As well as All Star Anthony Nash Cork hurling goalkeeper supreme
Duhallow's most decorated hurler who is held in high esteem

Cullen had Batt O Keeffe and Dan Morley and Niall and Doney Kelleher flew the flag for Knocknagree
And Pat O Connor the boxer brought honour to Kiskeam and Boherbue
From Newmarket Danny Culloty a former Cork player who is famed and widely known
And at his best Willie Shine the great Meelin athlete in a class of his own

Dromtarriffe had Dick Harnedy, Matt John Murphy and Miah Murphy in Seasons  long gone
Now with life's departed though their legends live on
In greyhound racing Banteer's Johnny McCarthy at training race dogs was a master hand
He trained more than one hundred race winners in Cork track in one Season his record today there stand

Pat Cashman of Tullig won the Irish Greyhound Laurels twice with Tanyard Heather and Killhoran Boy
And Con Kelleher who owned, bred and trained Laurels winner Philotimo was Cockhill's pride and joy
Donal O Mahony and his wife Geraldine with their dog Mountleader Rumble from the Limerick Greyhound track
To Millstreet Town brought the St Leger trophy with them back

Billy Coleman,  Jer Buckley, Tod Falvey, Eoin Moynihan and Charlie Drake
In motor rallying never left Duhallow down when prestige was at stake
And for promotion of World Championship Boxing and Showjumping and Musical Festivals at Green Glens Millstreet Town
Noel C Duggan the living legend one who does know of Worldwide renown

Some  of Duhallow's best gaelic footballers wore the Millstreet green
William O Leary, Toots Kelleher, Johnny Keeffe, Din Connors and Cormac Dineen
All wore the Cork jersey and done themselves proud
And  so often the fans did sing their praises loud

For Cork and Millstreet Con Hartnett, Humphrey Kelleher, John Coleman, Thomas Kelleher, Con Connors and Denis Long
In gaelic football men often lauded in story and song
And the Burkes Tom and Brendan, the Kenneallys and Denis and Derry Hare
Millstreet in gaelic football produced many a great player.

In walking Stella Cashman from Tullig above Millstreet Town
For the  U S won a World Championship Medal in her walk to renown
In track and field Paddy Byrne, James Twohig and the high Jumper Pat O Shea
Were amongst the best in Ireland and Irish Champions on their day

Paddy Keeffe  of Mushera was a legendary athlete
In two mile hurdle races he was never beat
And world championship Silver Medallist Willie Neenan with success against the best did compete
His fame it does live on as the best of Millstreet

Greyhound men the Dooneen O Keeffes, P J Callaghan, Maurice Finnegan, J J Cronin, Denis Dennehy and Steven O Riordan in their time famed Ireland wide
That Duhallow has a  great sporting history could never be denied
From Ballydesmond Donncha O Connor a leading Cork forward and a  gaelic footballer supreme
Four National Leagues and an All Ireland medal enhances his public esteem

Back in the very early years of the twentieth century this is going way back in time
Johnny Jack Murphy and Denny Penny Kelleher were champion road bowlers in their prime
And nowadays young Brendan O Sullivan of Ballydaly  an Olympic Medallist at Floorball
Many more sporting achievements in him left to recall.

The Corkerys, Duggans, Singletons, Connors, Collins and Hennessys and Sheas in greyhound circles well known
Duhallow has many famous sporting identities that it can claim as it's own
There are many more worthy of mention but one  has to stop somewhere
From the Barony that is  well known in the bigger World out there

On saying many great sports people in Duhallow i'm not saying anything that is new
There are more i could mention far more than a few
Some of them competed against Ireland's and the World's best
And were never found to be wanting when they were put to the test.

He Will Not Be Going Back

He will not be going back to the town by the hill
Where gray butcherbird with the musical bill
Does greet the gray dawn with his familiar song
A voice from once heard that one could not get wrong
With a  lovely two year old daughter and a beautiful wife
He feels happy and settled in the urban life
In the mountain town he was born and raised in job opportunities few
He does never wish to go back to the life that he once knew
Where the kookaburra in the twilight does laugh out loud at sundown
On the wooded hill that overlooks the little mountain town
Where on cool mornings in late Winter just a few weeks from the Spring
The lyrebird mimics the songs of other birds in the songs that he does sing
He has no wish for to go back to the town by the hill
With a wife and little daughter in life he has a new role to fulfil.

On The Australian Federal Election 2013

Julia Gillard is trying her outmost Australia's Prime Ministership to retain
But her support is dwindling in the polls which is Tony Abbott's gain
Tony could be Australia's next Prime Minster in September it is  now looking this way
Julia with the voters is on the nose it looks like she has had her day
But a  change from Labor to Coalition is just a change in Government name
As their policies are very similar in fact almost the same
With them it is about power and fame and money  just that and nothing more
In Parliaminent taunting each other like schoolyard bullies as verbal points they try to score
They see Climate Change as not important allow logging of old growth trees
And compete for the votes of redneck voters by being hard on refugees
Whoever wins the next election will not help those in poverty
They will never help the have nots only leave  them to their misery
Tony Abbott likely to be Australia's next Prime Minister the polls are showing it this way
Julia Gillard is on the outer she has known a far better day.

The Opinionated

You may think your opinions are right and dismiss all other points of view with a no
That others have their opinions as well only happens for to be so
But their opinions you dismiss since you believe you cannot be wrong
The opinionated sort are not rare and to their tribe you surely belong
But few near to perfect 'twould seem yes their sort as ever are few
To that you may even say so why tell us what to us is not new
Of the opinionated one  can say they do not have low self esteem
They are not humble in their ways but then we are what we are it does seem
The opinionated i meet every day like is  said their sort are not rare
With them you do know where you stand since their opinions with you they do share
But then we can only be what we are and this is all that we can be
We all are different in our ways and we all look at life differently
If you think your  opinions are not wrong then in your mind  you feel you are right
One's opinions  are that nothing more and surely are not worth a fight.

The Evening Quite Warm

The evening quite warm and humid with scarce any breeze
In weather temperattures close to forty degrees
But the flute like notes of the magpies so pleasant to hear
The birds who do sing every day of the year
The park playground deserted no children at play
Too warm for them to be out in the sun today
For late February quite close to the Southern Fall
The weather quite warm and humid and not pleasant at all
In the fluctuating temperatures the weather is acting strange
The reason for this  perhaps is Climate Change
For human created carbon emissions the price  huge to pay
Though from this lessons not learned which seems  sad to say
Yet the flute like notes of the magpies melodious and clear
The birds who do sing every day of the year.

Could Not Care Less

He has been declared bankrupt his finances in a mess
And he owes to the bank five thousand in interest the one known as Could Not Care Less
He says he has already paid the banker twenty thousand on interest quite a huge amount
But such things in bureaucracy never taken into account

He has been given six  months by the bank to pay his debt and if he does fail
He will be facing a term in jail
But this does not seem to worry him one bit at all
He says compared to some  my biggest troubles are small

His wife left him and with her took their baby daughter due to worry of financial stress
But he says this is  her business if she lives at a new address
The two most important people to him out of his life have gone
But he says this is life and life does go on

One on the great gift of hope who does keep faith
He firmly believes that good things come  to those who do wait
His financial problems have cost him the loss of his daughter and wife
But still he seems happy and he can laugh at life.

They Tell The Whole World

They tell the  whole World that their god is  great
Yet those who believe different to them they do hate
One would hope  that god is far kinder in every way
Than some of the the followers who in their house of worship to him pray
A god of compassion such behavior would not condone
Of those not free of sin who cast the verbal stone
Judge not and thou shalt not be judged from the mouths of the wise
That tolerance is a gift of the compassionate such people do not realize
Anybody who believes differently to them they do treat as a  foe
For  to be good people they have some way to go
If there happens to be a heaven somewhere in the sky
For to get there compassion and tolerance  are things they should  try
This does seem a far better idea for them instead
Of wishing others with different beliefs to them dead.

We Need To Daydream

If the choice was mine i would love to have been born and raised in sunny Brazil
As dark skinned and as handsome as Pele with his footballing skill
To the beat of the sambas my footballing skills on display
My dreams too big for me it does seem this way

There are millions of people in the World like me
Who daydream of things that they never can be
We all have our destinies in life ro fulfil
And time not even for the greats has been known to stand still

So lucky are they in their lives satisfied
Who with what they have achieved feel a certain pride
Who never daydream of great wealth and renown
And never even yearn to be toast of the town

In my daydreams  i hear the samba drummers drumming and the footbal crowds roar
When for Brazil another great goal i did score
A young Pele lookalike a footballer supreme
We need to daydream to boost our self esteem.

Destiny In Your Life

On the family we were born into and where we were raised in we did not have a say
And if from where you were raised in you now live far away
This is part of your destiny since destiny in your life has a huge part to play
Your life journey has led you to where you live at today
Though some with such thinking could never agree
You are what you are this is all you can be
If you were born to be  president or  live a life of poverty
Your status in life springs from your destiny
You very well may say that this  is not true
That what we put into life in life becomes our due
We all look at life in our minds differently
And you in your  thinking quite different to me
But this makes us seem more interesting does this seem fair to say
How boring we would be  if we all thought in the same way.

For My Own Enjoyment

I've written of Nature's Seasons Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall
And of the great ocean mammals to the tiniest of the small
I've written rhymes on many subjects without any form of financial pay
But it is what i enjoy doing so i write more every day

I've written thousands of rhymes over four decades of years
Of people and their lives and their times of laughter and tears
I write for my own enjoyment not for financial reward or renown
Rhyming helps me to feel good about myself when i am feeling down

Yes it is only for my own enjoyment that rhymes i do write
You can see my rhymes online in many a literarry site
The sort of  rhymes i write to write as  easy as can be
Anyone can write rhymes that's how it seems to me

I write of animals and flowers and the birds and the bees
And  the sound of the wind blowing in the leafy trees
Some tell me in rhyme i have said all i have  to say
But new rhymes do come  to my mind every day

I left school in the early sixties without any degrees
But this does not prevent me of writing of homeless people and refugees
And of sporting greats of athletics and many codes of football
But for my writing efforts i do not receive any money at all.