Human Abuse Of The Planet

Human abuse of the Planet that feeds us is now Worldwide
By greedy people beautiful Mother Earth is being destroyed
Every day more old growth trees to build more factories are cut down
And smog from pollution above the streets of the town
For industrialization that leads to job creation the price huge to pay
More species of wildlife are becoming endangered of extinction every day
This so called thing called human progress leaves a lot to be desired
Though the main culprits of natural environmental destruction by many are admired
Mining for Nature's resources has created many a billionaire
Environmental vandals amongst the wealthy class to say the least not rare
Our Mother Earth who feeds us creates more millionaires every day
But that we see fit to abuse her does seem quite sad to say
We dig her ground for her resources and her beauty we destroy
And when we destroy natural beauty we destroy a source of joy. 

I Was Raised On Old Stories

I was raised on old stories of Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra's rebel men
And of the heroes of the ambush at Tureengariffe Glen
But in time that was more than nine decades ago
And the enemy back then is no longer the foe

Those stories of old heroes i used to enjoy
And back then i was impressionable like every other young boy
But i look at life very differently today
And i do look at war in a different sort of a way

That they were brave fellows of them cannot be denied
Who for self Government for Ireland in Dublin City died
The ultimate sacrifice by them for their Country was made
And in Ireland for them at Easter in villages, cities and towns many a parade

But the Republic of Ireland remains a poor Country today
And overall far poorer than Britain is it does seem sad to say
Of centuries of resistance to invasion Ireland has a proud history
But self Government did not rid the Country of the scourge of poverty

Their dead war heroes the patriots of every Country seem to need
But dead heroes the living poor never does feed
At least anyhow that's how it seems to me
Though many with such thinking would not agree

Around the fire-place at night by men time had left old
Of the heroes of Ireland's War of Independence old stories were told
And of the ambushes at Headford and Tureengariffe Glen
But the friendly neighbor now was the enemy then.

Memories

The cock pheasant today is cucking in the field where the green rushes grow
And the white breasted dipper is singing where the river rapids does flow
And the bluebells in clusters are blooming on the the ditch of the pebbly bohreen
And the old fields in their flowers of Nature are looking so lush and so green
The hawthorns are looking resplendent cloaked in their white blooms of the Spring
And the male robin his orange breast puffed with song on a leafy birch tree does sing
The skylark rises from the bracken and carols as upwards he does fly
And singing as he is ascending a musical speck in the sky
In the place where i grew to love Nature where i grew to a man as a boy
And learning of the ways of wild-born creatures is always a great source of joy
The cattle out of wintering sheds on lush grass are gaining weight by the day
And the swallows are chasing flying insects home to breed from Lands far away
How marvelous the great gift of memory it is such an amazing thing
It can take us to far away places in the beautiful prime of the Spring.

On What We Are Doing To Our Planet

The numbers of the human population increasing in every Country Worldwide
And far too many homeless and hungry and of a fair go in life are denied
Death does make everyone equal though in life many know of inequality
So many by circumstance of birth condemned to live in poverty
The war supposed to end all wars ended nearly a century ago
Yet many wars have been fought since then we are told who is our friend and our foe
By our so called democratically elected government who send troops and fighter jets to Lands afar
Just to support those that they do call our allies suppose any excuse for a war
Yet despite wars and drought created famines  the numbers of the human population is on the rise
And that our Mother Earth is struggling to feed us does not come as any surprise
Since due to human created carbon emissions more crops by extreme weather are being destroyed
On what we are doing to our Planet for us there is not any pride
If we had respect for our Earth Mother people of hunger would not have to die
And that all babies are born as equal must surely be based on a lie.

Beauty Can Have Many Meanings

With the saying beauty is in the eye of the beholder i for one can only agree
For what is a weed to one person may even be a flower to me
And beauty has many sides to it as you and i know all too well
What to me does seem as nice poetry in your eyes is mere doggerel
Of the many meanings to the word beauty so many examples to show
The beautiful woman to look at may not be a beautiful woman to know
The saying beauty is only skin deep in many instances not without truth
The beautiful to look at one may be selfish and conceited and sadly lacking in ruth
I know this beautiful person in her early sixties an aging widow of the town
She spends her spare time working for charitable causes helping those who in their luck are down
Not the town's most attractive to look at but she has a beautiful mind
And her's is the rarest of beauty the beauty of the compassionate and kind
What to you is an object of beauty may very well not be to me
And that beauty can have many meanings is how it is and will always be.

The Former Pride Of Millstreet West

Long before time it did become her foe
She danced in the Star Ballroom years ago
Of wavy shoulder length brown hair and always well dressed
She was the former Pride of Millstreet West

So beautiful and down to earth and tall
In Millstreet West the fairest of them all
But in Millstreet West not one destined to stay
The bug of wander from there did lure her away

She left Duhallow when she was nineteen
And in Millstreet West  was never more to be seen
In her first home-place never to be seen again
And Duhallow's loss was somewhere else's gain

I wonder did she marry or as single did she remain?
Mental pictures of her youthful beauty i have to retain
Since she danced in the Star some fifty years gone by
On looking back the Seasons time did seem to fly

I wonder has she been aging in a graceful way
Or with hair dyes and makeup does she cloak time's decay?
And time does not wait as the wise one did say
Yet in my memory she has not aged a day.

No Need To Tell Me

No need to tell me i already know too well
That post bodily death i will not be where angels dwell
Since of a life devoted to God i do not have stories to tell
I am sure they will find some space for me in Hell
A lot of famous faces when on earth there i am bound to see
War leaders whose crimes led to crimes against humanity
Former Billionaires whose greed caused widespread poverty
This is not something to look forward to for me
But for as long as i have a notebook and pen for to pen doggerel
I will not be the unhappiest one in Hell
I can write about the present company i am in
Who in their Earthly lives reaped the rewards of sin
And though i may not be in the best of company
I will be where i do deserve for to be.

Yesterday Has Gone

The sun in the blue sky all day with warmth shone
But that was yesterday and yesterday has gone
And weather-wise this morning the sky overcast and gray
And the sun behind clouds it is hidden away

Life is a bit like the weather we live in the now
And yesterday has gone but life goes on somehow
Though yesterday for you far better than today
Make the most of the now as the wise one did say

And tomorrow again may be dry and fine
With long spells of warm and beautiful sunshine
And like the weather you too may feel happiness light
And your mind may be full of joy, warm and bright

Yesterday you knew of laughter and joy
And you felt happy as a carefree young girl or boy
And the sun in the blue sky with nice warmth shone
But that was yesterday and yesterday has gone.

If In The Laws Of Karma

If in the laws of Karma you believe
What you put into life from life you do receive
Though some do see it in a different way
Those who believe that crime does pay

The kindest person living in the town
Will never know of the status of renown
This does not say much of humanity to me
But this is how it is and it will always be

For many life must seem like Murphy's Law
The people destined to draw the short straw
With their many problems struggling for to cope
And for better times they only live in hope

I am one who believes in live and let live
And to receive in life one must learn how to give
Though some i know does see it differently
And with such thinking never could agree.

A Sort Of A Working Bio

When to the ways of the world i was young and green
I left Millstreet and went to live and work in New York when i was eighteen
The wanderlust was in me even as a younger man
But back then i was young and healthy and full of youthful elan

But after two to three years in the City of New York
I was feeling homesick for Millstreet County Cork
with my brother Neil in Claraghatlea i worked for some time
As well as felling trees in state owned woods that is how i spent my prime

Worked in the wood by Mushera felling spruce and pine trees
In late Winter and early Spring in temperatures of near zero degrees
The winds of rain blowing from the north-lands and snow on the higher ground
It was indeed a hard old way for to earn an honest pound

Worked in woods in Kilavullen and in west Cork in Reainaree
But in mid life the wanderlust was in me for others Lands to see
I headed off to England for Australia i was bound
To do a bit of travelling far south of my home ground

I am one who has worked one might say doing this and that
Worked for my friend Michael Kelleher on pipelines in Buninyong near Ballarat
Worker for awhile in Melbourne with a construction company known as C D L
It is not of successful career jobs that are mine of for to tell

Worked in construction and on cherry pickers  in the Yarra Ranges near high powered electric cables trimming back trees
Worked in all sorts of weather temperatures from very cool to a humid close to forty degrees
I worked in various other jobs the list could go on and on
But now that all behind me since my better days are gone

A sort of a working bio just that and nothing more
And time catching up on me i am six years with three score
In the Fall of my life's existence in South West Victoria's Koroit Town
Feeling lucky i was not born a horse since many old horses are put down.

A Cranky Old Dear

Not a pleasant octogenarian she is quite a cranky old dear
But life she is determined to cling to she surely will not die this year
A decade ago her husband left her which has become her reason for disliking men
Now happily married to a younger woman he says he escaped the lioness den
Perhaps there is no scorn greater than that of the old rejected wife
She feels bitter because her husband left her though she had given to him a miserable life
She has not been with a man since he left her though it does seem a fair thing to say
That any man for to woo her has not gone out of his way
She has lived to see her great grandchildren though she does live on her own
But with age she has not mellowed into a cranky old dear she has grown
She does not attend any community gatherings and she says she does not need a friend
She could not even force herself to smile since she is not one to pretend
Unhappy in her early eighties but to life to the last she will cling
The Reaper of Lives must wait on her for this will not be her last Spring.

To Cynical Old Me

Of terrorists and asylum seekers they like to broadcast fear
And they tell the voting public what most voters want to hear
The government and opposition for the votes of redneck voters compete
The gullible are many and are open to deceit
Applauded by many when they send the troops and fighter planes to fight wars in Countries far away
But when war refugees arrive in boats in detentions centers worse than jails they are forced to stay
Till their claims for asylum to them have or have not been granted and that may take for years
And asylum seekers who have their claims rejected are deported in tears
Most of the voting public known to lack in empathy
Even for the asylum seekers their governments create in their wars they do not have any sympathy
One of the reasons that politicians pander to them for votes since politicians are this way
On who gets elected to parliament the voting majority has the say
Our politicians are our reflective mirrors though many with that may not agree
But this is how it does appear to cynical old me.

You Feel Life Is A Battle

You feel life is a battle and you are doing it tough
But you have never been homeless and you have never slept rough
You are what you think you are or make yourself out to be
And you must be very poor if you think you are that is how it seems to me
You do not have to look that hard or travel to elsewhere
To meet one far poorer than you there are plenty of them there
Living as homeless and sleeping rough in the poorer side of the town
The people with good reason in spirits to feel down
With your own home a nice wife two lovely young daughters a good job and good car
But despite this you have convinced yourself you are poor then poor you surely are
Poverty can be a relative thing as some are known to say
And the reality is compared to many you are wealthy though you don't see it that way
And when you say life for you is a battle your own self you deceive
And on the saying we are what we do think we are i for one do believe.

It Is A Flat Old Countryside

It is a flat old countryside of paddocks brown and bare
Where houses are not many and trees and bushes rare
And mixed flocks of straw neck and white ibis in large numbers do abound
With their long bills they probe for slugs and worms in the soft patches of ground

A quiet enough old countryside a few miles from the nearest rural coastal town
From many weeks of little rain looking quite dry and brown
Of wire strained on timber fence posts far as the eyes can see
What seems quite a pretty place to some does not seem so to me

We all see things quite differently or it does seem this way
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as some do like to say
With little passing traffic on the narrow roadway
The only bird sound the calls of the pale eyed crows on a calm Autumn day

The dark willy wagtail with wagging tail on fence post watching for flies
One who catches his tiny prey by the element of surprise
On a cool Autumn evening in mid April four miles or not much more
Off of the narrow road to the highway to the town on the ocean shore.

I Tell Anyone Who Asks Me

I tell anyone who asks me where i am from that i am from Millstreet
From old Claraghatlea where the rivers do meet
Far north of this Land even as the bird does fly
Perhaps fourteen thousand miles or more by sky
To the home of the badger and silver back crow
Where River Finnow to the Blackwater flow
Where i grew to love Nature when i was a boy
And learning of her ways today i enjoy
I left old Duhallow twenty six years ago
And far south of Millstreet time is becoming my foe
I wake every day to the magpie's flute like song
And the calls of the pee wee and the pied currawong
And only the memories with me does remain
Of an old countryside i may not see again.

People And Their Stories

People and their stories i've been listening to for years
Of their times of laughter and their times of tears
Of their children and grandchildren and their husbands and wives
And the things that are important to them in their lives

Their stories of their health all too willing to tell
Of their doctors visits when not feeling well
Their families and self their dinner topic of the night
The World okay when all with them is all right

They have their own worries of this i don't doubt
But without self to talk of they would have nothing for to talk about
Their favorite dinner topic of talking of self does nothing for me
As i do find it boring as boring can be

A life lived for self interest only seems to be their way
And if this makes them happy that too is okay
But since they only talk of self and their own praises do sing
Dinner in their company is far from an enjoyable thing.

I Meet Them Quite Often

I meet them quite often though not every day
Though when we meet to each other we have little to say
And they are quite good people of that i am aware
Though in common with them i have little to share

It is not that them or i in our ways are shy
When i meet with them it is hello and goodbye
It is just to each other we have little to say
Since we look at life in a different way

Their interests in life are quite different to mine
But this is their business and that suits me fine
In the park shopping complex or on the street
We have little to talk about when we do meet

Just a smile or a nod or a courteous good day
Without stopping to talk as we walk on our way
Their interest in life are of no interests to me
Suppose if we all thought in the same way how boring we would be.

A Wonderful Thing

It has been the inspiration of many a song
And to the people of all ages it does belong
The poets write poems of it for the singers to sing
The great gift of love is a wonderful thing
Like is said never too old to love and never too young to die
I once asked an old fellow years older than i
Did he still love his octogenarian wife
His answer to me few loves last for life
Of his answer to my question you make what you may
But i can only suppose he was telling me in his own way
That very few loves in time ever does last
And he does not love his wife as he did  in the past
To want to be loved is a human need
And those who know of true love are lucky indeed.

The Life I Live

The life i live quite ordinary does lack in any glitter
But i feel happy with my lot i have no cause to feel bitter
Since millions are worse off than me and living it far tougher
Without a home and on the street can life be any rougher?

I have a home for to live in i have reason to feel contented
Though happiness for one like me surely was not invented
Not positive in any way since in self pity at times i do wallow
I have not changed that much at all since i lived in Duhallow

Lady luck is far kinder to me than she is to some others
Far kinder than the homeless at a young age forsaken by their fathers and mothers
The journey of life is tough on those who had a poor beginning
Few of those born into dire poverty do ever end up winning

For the poor homeless of the slums one only can feel pity
Born into extreme poverty the poorest of the city
Compared to them i have it good though i am far from wealthy
I have a home to live in and enough to eat and though aging fairly healthy.

The Power To Change The World

The power to change the World is in your mind
If you can live as a person good and kind
And from one in need of helping never turn away
The Human World better for you living in it does seem fair to say
The Presidental car leads the big street parade
A hero of him by his supporters made
But his army commit crimes against humanity
Which does not say much for his integrity
To his army's crimes he does give the okay
The great power he has he abuses every day
Because of him and others like him the Human World a more dangerous place to live in
The gift of change for the better he does not have within
By living as a good person you are an asset to the Human Race
And you are making the Human World to live in a far better place.

I Only Can Hope

I only can hope i've not seen my last Spring
The great gift of life is a wonderful thing
I want to live on for as long as i can
And die in my sleep without pain as a very old man
I want to live to see the mud nest building pee wee
Build their cup shaped nest of mud on low branch of a tree
In September when the magpies in the moonlight
Does proclaim their borders in the dead of the night
At night the beautiful flute like notes so pleasant to hear
Of the birds who do sing at all times of year
The longest lived human life in time not a long span
So i do want to live to die as an old man
When the boobook owl calls on a balmy Spring night
And the magpies are warbling in the faint moonlight.

On Being Self Sufficient

This idea of being self sufficient is like trying to make a phone call on a disconnected phone
Since most people cannot live for self alone
Like people with children to educate their children on school teachers depend
And the World's saddest person is the one who does not have one friend
Everyday we interact with people in one way or more
You are depending on someone to serve you at the super store
You are depending on doctors and nurses to keep you alive when you are feeling unwell
The idea of a World of self sufficient people is a hard one to sell
You need a motor mechanic to fix your car when it breaks down
And without drivers there would not be buses or trains to city or town
Those who say they are self sufficient their own selves deceive
Suppose some only believe what they want to believe
This idea of a self sufficient person is based on a lie
Though you will be self sufficient on the day you will die.

A Good Woman

Her husband left her to raise their children not a task any woman would enjoy
Two girls of seven and eight and a six year old boy
Whilst her ex husband lives with and makes love to another woman in a bigger town miles away
She has to work to make ends meet for food to buy and bills to pay

But she is a positive person of hope one who does not despair
Not one to resort to complaining she never says life is unfair
Her ex husband not paying her alimony she raises her children on her own
But she gets on with the job of living and bitter towards him has not grown

Without any reason he left her to him she was a faithful wife
But she has her three children to take care of and sees them as a blessing in her life
Tall and slender and physically attractive she need not be without a man
But apart from the love of her children for other loves she has no plan

In her thirty fourth year of life a good mother as well as a good person for her never an easy day
For to pay the bills and keep the household she works hard for her every pay
A woman who lives in the present by life she never feels hard done by
Why life for some good people is an uphill battle one only has to wonder why.

Margaret Daly

She was born and raised as Margaret Buckley in Kippagh in Ballydaly from Millstreet Town some three miles of roadway
In marriage she was known as Margaret Daly and in  Clonfert in Duhallow her last remains does lay
I know she had two brothers and two sisters The Buckleys left Kippagh many decades ago
All we have left of the past are our memories and time does become everybody's foe
Often see her cycling to the Town of Millstreet with her sister Mary the Buckleys nice young women as i do recall
It is sad to think that she has gone to the forever but the last day and night is for us all
Time would have brought great change to Ballydaly but then of most places one can say the same
Where i was well known and where i did know many few today would even know of me by name
But i have good memories of Margaret Buckley she was one i often used to meet
When i was young a primary school going fellow as she cycled on the roadway to Millstreet
One can only hope she had a painless ending since so many do have a painful end
I do recall her as quite a nice person and many people loved her as a friend
Her final resting place many miles from Ballydaly where the river from Kippagh Lake to the Finnow flow
And may she rest in peace now Margaret Daly the Margaret Buckley that i used to know.

Laughing Jim

He is a happy fellow Laughing Jim
There are few if any as happy as him
Good to his children and good to his wife
One of those characters larger than life
In his early thirties just beyond his physical prime
For to help one in need of helping he will find the time
For sadness in his life there is not any space
He always does have a big smile on his face
The happy person everyone wishes to know
Everyday Jim's friends in numbers do grow
Untainted by arrogance and free of conceit
So likeable and always a pleasure to meet
People like Jim never do make a foe
And happiness goes with him to wherever he go.

The Boston Bombers

People who feel marginalized human society can grow to hate
These are the people our flawed Governments and in our attitude to difference we can create
The Boston Marathon bombing brothers too had a mum and a dad
And like all children are as children they were not bad
The eldest of the brothers is already dead
He died as he lived of him it can be said
They caused death and destruction and horrific injuries to people on a Boston Street
To people they did not know or may never might meet
For to become a murderer a mother does not raise her son
But worse crimes than the Boston Bombers by others are done
People are dying in acts of terrorism in Iraq every day
As the legacy of a war created by Governments from there far away
The youngest of the Boston Bomber brothers with his life may pay
But such things are happening in the World every day.

This Is How It Does Seem

The World human population is on the increase
And in the future with more people to fight wars the less chance of peace
And Mother Earth's resources will be stretched with more mouths for to feed
And with more homes needed for more people the future for wildlife does seem bleak indeed
And it does seem a sad thing for to have to say
That the gap between the haves and the have nots is growing wider by the day
And with increasing carbon emissions air pollution levels are rising at an alarming rate
On the natural environment humanity has little for to celebrate
News of the threat of nuclear war we read of and hear of every day
Tensions between some Nations increasing it does seem this way
A nuclear war would be disastrous for humanity millions of people would die Worldwide
And that the threat of such a war is real cannot be denied
With more people in the World more people in wars for to die
This is how it does seem to say otherwise would be a lie.

Such Beautiful Weather

Such beautiful weather for April in the far southern Fall
Going by the keepers of weather records the warmest Autumn of all
Since the keeping of weather temperatures began
Near a century of Autumns ago in time quite a span
The sun it is shining in sky blue and gray
And the magpies are singing in the park by the bay
And on a low branch of a wattle tree
The magpie lark sings his familiar pee wee
The weather temperatures pleasant around twenty three degrees
And there is a nice warmth in the coastal breeze
And the pleasant buzzing of the nectar gathering bees
Taking nectar from the flowering ivy on the trunks of the trees
In weather quite splendid for the time of year
Who would believe the calendar Winter is near.

The Best Years Of My Life

The best years of my life have been lost to time
And for me like all rhymers there will be a last rhyme
Like all other life forms i was born to die
This happens to be fact and fact never lie
With those who claim us humans are superior to all other life forms i cannot agree
The old cow in the paddock is no less of a mortal than me
In the abattoir or of old age or in some other way
She will die and like her for me there will be a last day
You may be a company director and drive in an expensive car
But you are not as important as you think you are
Far greater people than you the ways of time have gone
One day you will die and life will go on
The best years in my life in the distant past
And each rhyme i write one nearer to my last.

The Anti War Man

The flag of his Country he never did wave
And the last post will never be played at his grave
He was not the type of which heroes are made
The man who walked in many an anti war parade

One who did not have children or did not have a wife
Though he had a few intimate female friends in his life
A likeable fellow in him so much good
And if he could help you he most certainly would

He died of a heart attack at fifty one
His deceased mum and dad in him raised a good son
Amongst anti war people he was widely known
They did look upon him as one of their own

An army bugler at the grave side The Last Post will never play
Of the anti war man who was buried today
At the next anti war parade he will not walk up and down
With the peace loving locals on the streets of the town.

There Is Nothing Here For Him

There is nothing here for him to wish to stay
Tomorrow he will leave at break of day
As the sun shines through the morning clouds of gray
He will drive towards the bigger town from here some eighty K's away

He has heard a pipeline contractor is hiring workers there
And if he doesn't get a work start he has heard of jobs elsewhere
One not tied to place he is young and carefree
And so much for him of the bigger World to see

Not for one like him the married way of life
A steady job to support children and wife
He feels happy with the casual sexual fling
A settled life with one partner would not be his thing

So many more highways on which he has to drive
In the prime of life he is only twenty five
He was not born to be one of the settled kind
The bug of the wander is in his young mind

One night  in a small town like this long enough for him to remain
Tomorrow he will be on the road again
And why should he wish to settle anywhere
When he has so much to see of the bigger World out there.

Shirley Duffield

In many ways a generous person and she can be caring and kind
A woman who is known to many and one not afraid to speak her mind
Shirley may be an octogenarian but she does look well for her years
A woman who lives in the present and for the past she has no tears
One known to many in the Moyne Shire as a leading environmentalist her fame has grown
That she is a true friend of Nature is something that is widely known
She wage war on every human introduced feral and wild-born predator and on every invasive weed
Of many more people like Shirley our earth Mother she is in need
To speak on behalf of our Earth Mother on her one can surely depend
On the amazing Shirley Duffield Nature does have a true friend
To the cause she believes in and espouses she does remain steadfastly true
In her Nature does have a great friend and this is to give her fair due
Quite amazing for an octogenarian the flag of Nature she carries with pride
That she is one born of courage of her cannot be denied.

The Words In An Old Song

It can come to you in the words of an old song
Wherever you go to your past with you goes along man
You think of the girl in the far away town
With blue eyes and shoulder length wavy hair of brown

You wonder where she may be living today
To the far away town did she come back to stay
Does She use cosmetics and hair dyes to hide time's decay?
Once the fairest of all in the town far away.

To some lucky man did she become a wife
Or did she not find love in her journey in life
Did She or did she not have children is she growing old on her own?
She possessed a rare beauty that by few is known

The words in an old song does bring back to me
The fading memories of what used to be
When the charming young woman with the hair of light brown
Was the beautiful Rose of the far away town.

It Is So Good To Be Alive

It is so good to be alive on such a pleasant day
The children in the park playground are laughing at their play
And the birds who sing in all Seasons and every day of the year
The warbling flute like notes of the magpies are so pleasant for to hear
The familiar song of the magpie larks that sounds much like pee wee
Mud nesting black and white birds i do often hear and see
It is not too warm or too cool with a nice freshening breeze
In fact near to perfect Autumn weather of near to twenty degrees
Though my worth as a rhymer i have reason for to doubt
No shortage of things in Nature for me to rhyme about
The first fallen leaves of Autumn dry, crinkled up and brown
On the grass beside their mother trees on the nature strips of town
A nice day to be outdoors to go for a walk or drive
In weather temperatures near to perfect it is so good to be alive.

The Developer

The Developer looks but he does not see
Any beauty at all in the flowering gum tree
If he had his way every tree would be cut down
For to make way for more houses and factories in the town

The Developer of the Greenies does not have nice things to say
Of adding to his vast profit they get in the way
He looks on every friend of Nature as his enemy
If he had his way he would cut down every tree

The praises of money the Developer does sing
To him an ugly factory built on land he has developed is a beautiful thing
In money and assets he is a billionaire
Wealthy developers like him are no longer that rare

The wealthy developer and his wife and family in the town's most expensive restaurant dine
And he only drinks the most expensive wine
And he hates every Greenie on his way they stand
Of adding to his billion by developing more land.

Football Is The Main Topic

Football is the main topic at the local pub
Where many young and not so young males wear the colors of their club
In Winter and early Spring from the early Fall
The main topic by many males you've guessed it is football
Footy Widows the nickname their wives are known by
A more apt name for them one could not wish to apply
Football is an integral part of the footy barrackers life
To him even more important than his family or his wife
Despondent at the weekend if his team does lose
His sorrows he drowns in the pub in the booze
This football it can be an addictive thing
The barrackers of the winning team their club anthem sing
Whilst the barrackers of the losing team in silence drink their beer
In their weekend they have no reason for cheer.

The Man From The Outback

From years of working in warm climates his face wrinkled and brown
The man from the outback tropics is happy in his life in the cool southern town
In the hot and sweaty shearing sheds never an easy day
One can say of him he earned his every pay
He never fathered children or he never had a wife
But in his younger years no shortage of women in his life
In country town pubs he often drank himself merry and many the night
In his old ute he made love under the moonlight
Well into his seventies time becoming his foe
He only has memories now of long ago
In his one bedroom flat living on his own
Quite happy in his life though physically better days he has known
In the coastal town he has made many a friend
And here he will stay till his life's journey end.

The Man With The Loud Voice

Though never referred to by anyone as one of our own
The man with the loud voice to many is known
You do not need a hearing aid him for to hear
And he can be quite deafening when to you standing near

His is the loudest voice in the lounge rooms of the football club
And the loudest voice by far in the local pub
But he is quite harmless a nice enough bloke
And he laughs his loudest at the punch line of a joke

Of his wife and his two primary school daughters  he does feel very proud
And of his love for them in public he always talks loud
Some say he's a braggart but to talk loud in public is his way
We are what we are as some are known to say

In the football club rooms or the local bar
The man with the loud voice the loudest by far
He could not talk quietly even if he did try
Yet he is the type who would not harm a fly.

Margaret Thatcher

Though she was one who had known a far better day
The woman who for years commanded great power Margaret Thatcher has passed away
Britain's only woman Prime Minister in eternal rest lay
Though nice things about her some do not have to say

Though to the poor of Great Britain she was not a friend
One can only hope for her that her life came to a peaceful end
It was not out of any acts of kindness that she won her fame
The Iron Lady for her it did seem an apt name

But she is deceased and like it is said
One ought not to speak any ill of the dead
Though courage of her never could be denied
In Britain when she was Prime Minister the gap between the poor and the wealthy grew wide

She had her admirers and they were those who wished her in hell
And to the scythe of the Reaper of Lives she eventually fell
One can only hope that from life her's was a painless release
And the late Margaret Thatcher may she rest in peace.

A Happy Sound

In the children's playground in the park by the bay
The joy in the laughter of children at play
A happy sound that does bring joy to my day
Laughter is the best medicine as some like to say
Reminds me of the time when i was a young boy
The games in the school yard at the lunch break i used to enjoy
But only the memories with me now remain
Of something that was but will not be again
The great gift of youth is a wonderful thing
And of it as the saying goes it must have it's fling
On this warm evening in the Fall of the year
The laughter of children a happy sound for to hear
Takes me to my boyhood in Seasons long gone
And only the memories of what was live on.

Who Would Believe

Who would Believe the southern calendar Winter only seven weeks away
For Autumn and April a beautiful day
The weather sunny and warm twenty five degrees
With even a Summer type of warmth in the gentle Summer like breeze
That blow in the paddocks scenting sweetly of hay
And across the park of the town by the bay
The birds who do sing every day of the year
The warbling flute like notes of the magpies so pleasant to hear
And the droning like buzzings of the nectar gathering bees
Taking nectar from the flowering ivy on the trunks of the trees
White butterflies in numbers for the time of year unusual to see
And the magpie larks sing their familiar pee wee
Who would ever believe that Winter is near
The weather amazing for the time of year.

Kieran Hickey

For many years in his home in Liscreagh Kieran Hickey lived on his own
And outside of the town land he was not widely known
A shy sort of a fellow in his own quiet way
Though known to be clever quiet waters run deep they say
Quite close to if not in his eighties in years of life his was a good span
When he breathed his last Liscreagh's oldest man
In Liscreagh never to be seen in the flesh again
But with those who knew him good memories of him remain
Outside of Liscreagh his was not a well known name
But this is how he liked it he never wished to know of fame
People like Kieran was are not hard to admire
Since many heavily into self promotion leave a lot to desire
Though in Liscreagh in the flesh never more to be seen
Fond memories of him in those who knew him will remain evergreen.

What Is Success

What is success can anybody tell me since few on what it means seems to agree
The person you look on as successful may not be a successful one to me
Through different eyes we see things very different and your ideas of life different to mine
On what is success we do not see eye to eye on but that you have your own opinions on it suits me fine
All compassionate people to me are successful they sow their seeds of good Karma every day
To help people who are in need of helping they are willing for to go out of their way
And yet they do not seek recognition for their kindness they perform their good deeds without reward or pay
Their acts of kindness seem to go unnoticed for them there never is a hip hooray
Your idea of success to mine is very different to you the successful one is a billionaire
Though he or she are known to be quite selfish and for those in need do not have money or time to spare
To you compassionate and kind people are misguided and in your opinion are not a success
The sort of people that you do look up to are the sort so many do seem to impress
Suppose in our thinking we are very different your idea of success different to mine
And though you and i in our thinking very different you have your opinions and with me this is fine.

I Am One Who Has

I am one who has done a bit of traveling far south of Hibernia's windswept shore
Far south of the countryside west of Millstreet and Clara overlooking Claramore
In Claraghatlea where i was born and raised in i would be a stranger to many today
But i do miss the old fields of my young years old memories die hard it does seem this way
In those old fields i fell in love with Nature when i was young a primary school going boy
And learning of the ways of our Earth Mother is something to this day i do enjoy
Old memories of what with us do linger and mental pictures of the past with me remain
And in some of my nostalgic flights of fancy i hear the birds sing in the wind and rain
When the fields are in their first Spring flowers of April and the swallows home to breed from Lands afar
Fly low close to the grass in pursuit of flying insects they travel by air as fast as a car
I am not what one would call a well traveled person others have seen more of the World than me
So many Lands and so many great cities that in my lifetime i will never see
I live far south of Claraghatlea in Millstreet where from a boy i grew into a man
And i may not be returning to Duhallow to grow old where my life's journey began.

I Have My Own Financial Worries

Though with you in your financial problems i have some sympathy to spare
I have my own financial worries and of them quite a share
If i die tomorrow the State to bury me may have to pay
But then i will be dead and past all cares anyway
With those born to be rhymers this is how life seems to be
Without financial rewards for your  efforts you live in poverty
Few writers become famous and well off financially
Penning rhymes can become addictive and this is how it is with me
I never call myself a poet since i am one who pens rhyme
And i have written reams of stuff in near to four decades in time
I really would like to help you but i have financial problems of my own
How it feels like to have heaps of money is something i have never known
Financially things for you may get better you are far younger than i
Since i live as a have not and as a have not i will die.

Why Should I Even Care

Of my political preferences i make others aware
But of who Governs the Country why should i much care
Since the major political parties in their policies seem similar indeed
And they will not be helping those of helping in need

That the gap between the haves and the have nots is increasing by the day
Does seem quite a sad thing for to have to say
No effort by the major political parties to combat poverty
They cater for the wealthy only it does seem to me

My disappointment with politicians i never try to hide
Far too many by them of a fair go are denied
Why no politician does speak for the poor beyond me to explain
The status quo they only do wish to maintain

The gap between the haves and the have nots increasing by the day
For the wealthy to grow wealthier the poor are growing poorer it does seem this way
And which political party Governs the Country after the next election why should i even care
Since their policies are similar of this i am aware.

Thuggery Street

Not a good place to rent or buy a house in Thuggery Street
A bloke who lived there for a few years i often do meet
Tells me his few years there were an Earthly Hell
Of life there he does not have good stories to tell
His bedroom windows smashed and his car vandalized
Of his stories of Thuggery Street i am not surprised
Since i've been told by others many a time
That it is the poor suburbs leading street of crime
Fond memories of Thuggery Street he does not have to retain
He says that he will never live there again
Where many are not strangers to life in jail
Many of the young homeless there in life destined to fail
For the escalating crime rate of the poor suburbs poverty is to blame
And as for Thuggery Street it does have an apt name.

I Rhyme

I rhyme not for the love of wealth and fame
Or that mine would become a celebrated name
I only rhyme because i love to rhyme
I have been penning stuff since i was in my life's prime

I rhyme because with words i love to play
And on paper never short of things to say
I've been penning rhyme since nineteen seventy three
A man of rhyme is all that i can be

Every day i email the new rhymes i do write
To be published in an internet literary site
I love penning stuff the only reason why
My rhymes in numbers like rabbits multiply

A poet as such i have never claimed to be
Such a distinguished is not for one like me
For self enjoyment i pen rhymes every day
A rhyming man for me does sound okay

A stranger to many even on my side of the town
I do not rhyme for money or renown
A rhymer for thirty nine years in time quite a span
And suppose i will die as a rhyming man.

How Old Is This Country

How old is this Country would anyone  know
This  old coastal country where Merri waters flow
In and  out of Lake Pertobe it slowly winds it's way
And on to the Pacific at Lady Bay
It was an old country when the first people came
And for it they did have a different name
That is going back sixty thousand years or even more
To where the Merri creeps on to the southern shore
An old land that has inspired story and rhyme
This was an old country even in the Dreamtime
In Summer the Country's first people had their  corroborees
Near the banks of the Merri in the shade of the  trees
A home to wallaby and  pale eyed crow
How old is this Country would anyone know?

Where I Grew To Love Nature

It has been some five months with six years and a score
Since i last saw the road from Millstreet to Rathmore
And though in the past this is a good span of time
Even back then i was well past my life's prime

I have shed the last of my nostalgic tears
For old Claraghatlea of my younger years
When all else is lost the old  memories remain
And in fancy i walk in the old fields again

Where i grew to love Nature when i was a boy
And learning of her ways today i enjoy
From the  time we are born to our last night and  day
We never stop learning as some like to say

A stranger today to many i would meet
Where i was known to many in the Town of Millstreet
Though in my visualizations old Clara obscured in the gray fogs of rain
And brown stormwater gurgling in the roadside drain

It has been twenty six years since i last heard a cow
Lowing in a rushy field by the river Finnow
But we can only live in the now since the past it has gone
And the clock on our lives ever keeps ticking on.

This Is What I Believe In

I am not a  muslim or hindi, christian, buddhist or jew
I am not of a religion though not one of a few
Since there are some of my sort to be found everywhere
And living in every land in the  big World out there

Many people believe in a god in a heaven in the sky
Where post death their souls to with wings will fly
To their chosen god they do pray and do sing
The great gift of faith it is an amazing thing

But for as long as i live however long that may be
The  great Goddess of Nature will be god to me
And whether i am buried entire or cremated my ashes in an urn
To her i belong to and to her i will return

At least that is what i believe in anyway
To the Earth i do live off of i will return to one day
This is what i believe in though it does seem to me
If we all believed in the one thing how boring we would be.

Laughter

Yesterday's gone make the most of today
The happy go lucky laugh their cares away
A lonely person the sad sack of the town
Few wish to know of you when you are feeling down
An old bloke i know is as happy as a carefree boy
With his gift of laughter he spreads around joy
Despite his advancing years his friends multiply
Though the reason for this by now you should know why
Of the praises of laughter i feel happy to sing
As a gift to humanity a marvelous thing
Laughter is the known source of happiness
And is a proven antidote to worry and stress
Yes  laughter is one of the great gifts of humanity
And those who do have it make friends easily.

Our Seasons Pass Quickly

Three score and ten years the average human life span
On average a few more years for a woman than for a man
Our Seasons pass quickly until our last Fall
In reality seventy years does  not seem long at all
The years seem to fly we soon do grow old
The former Rose of the town no longer lovely to behold
With blond  hair dye and makeup she tries to cloak the wear of time
Some three decades ago she was  in her life's prime
But cosmetics and hair dyes are not fool proof as everyone know
The years on the finest eventually does show
The clock on our lives ever ticking away
And  every day we live is  one day nearer to our life's final day
And despite hair dyes and makeup time has become  the foe
Of the Rose of the town thirty Summer's ago.

One Only Can Live

One only can live to be good as one  can
Live to be a better person a woman or man
And help anybody of your help in need
You are sowing the seeds of good Karma in your every good deed
If you cannot help people do not do them wrong
Compassion and kindness to those with empathy belong
That selfless people are not plentiful is not a lie
But there's far more to living life than me, myself and i
The one who has attained the status of renown
And often is feted as the toast of the town
A name for future generations to recall
But as a person one who may not be that good at all
You only can live as the best you can be
With such an assumption would  you not agree.

The Bells Of St Davids

Above the potato fields from here far away
The bells of St Davids can be heard today
Their loud peals re-echoing in the gray sky
They ring in my memory from Seasons gone by
The mewing of the gulls lives in my memory
Above the cliffs of Lleithy overlooking the sea
And from the Atlantic blows the cool winds of rain
When memories of coastal Wales i do visit again
We only have the memories of what used to be
In fancy the potato fields of St Davids i do see
In mid Spring the green potato stalks after recent showers
Are covered in beautiful pink and white flowers
And the bells of St Davids in fancy i hear
Echoing in the sky in the Spring of the year.

In Silence He Walked By

His hearing may not have been good or so i thought so
For he did not reply when to him i said hello
To me he did not have  any words for to say
As he passed in silence without even looking my way
Or maybe  he did have worries of his own
Far greater than any worries i have  or would ever have known
I have come to realize my biggest worry of all
Compared to the worries of some very small
The magpie larks in the park were singing pee wee
As he passed on in silence oblivious to me
Where sadness lives he would not feel out of place
The  cares of the World were in his sad face
My greeting to him did not earn a reply
With head slightly bowed in silence he walked by.

The One Who Knows It All

His knowledge it would seem is not destined to grow
The man who does claim he has nothing left to know
Or learn of life how clever he thinks he  must be
Though he does not seem very knowledgeable to me

He has a big ego people  like him are this way
The man who always does have plenty to say
On any subject one wishes for to talk about
Of his presence he never leaves one in doubt

Of his own praises always happy to sing
The man who does claim he does know everything
His sort of person are not rare it would  seem
The people  endowed with too much self esteem

To be  a great talker his claim to renown
He will never become the quiet man of the town
A saying from the past of his sort i recall
That the one with nothing to learn is  the one who knows it all.

My God

My God She is living in Nature her creatures i see every day
And i hear her birds chirping and singing when the dawn is breaking cool and gray
Some call her the Goddess of Nature the  one with such magical power
The one who can create such beauty such as a  tree or a bush or a flower
He creations are all around us her beauty we do not pay to see
She grows the food that we do live on and her life sustaining air to us  is free
Yet we dig up her ground for her riches and disrespect to her does pay
That we do not treat her as our best friend is such a sad thing for to say
The mother of our great Earth Mother the Goddess of Sea and of Land
We with the arrogance who think she is ours her ways will never understand
My God she is living in Nature her presence to us ever near
A destructive force when she is angry causing death and suffering and fear
Yet we need  her for our existence and though on her we do depend
To her we are not very grateful as we do not treat her as a friend.

In Annagloor In Early April

Financially i am not well off but how can i say i am poor
When i can visualize the birds singing in the leafy groves of Annagloor
The Spring spreads her green in Duhallow it is a lovely time of year
The song of the orange breasted robin is always a joy for to hear

The cattle out of wintering sheds from months of eating silage and hay
On the nutritous grass are doing quite well in fact gaining weight by the day
The old fields resplendent in their flowers of nature and  though the sun obscured in clouds of gray
The swallows are chasing flying insects home  to breed from Lands far away

The dipper does sing in the river the dark brown bird with breast white as snow
His scratchy song to many familiar of a water life he only know
The song of the male pink breasted chaffinch is an Annagloor voice of the Spring
I feel grateful to the gift of memory it is such a marvelous thing

In Annagloor in early April the golden billed blackbird on song
A voice of Spring that is familiar that one never ought to get wrong
And the tiny brown wren of the  hedgerow does have a loud song for  his size
From Nature we never stop learning and she  never does cease to surprise

It is April now in Duhallow north of here in sky miles far away
On the ditches  the bluebells are in bloom and in the hedges the dunnocks  are singing today
And though financially i am not well off how can i say that i am poor
When i can visualize the birds singing in the leafy groves of Annagloor.

A Fan Of Bukowski

Of the long deceased poet Charles Bukowski One Robert Vanderhope is a fan
He says with words Bukowski was mighty he was an extraordinary man
Lines from his poems he often does  quote the words of the poet does live on
The  words of the man are living long after the life from him has gone

You mention by name to him great poets he will say they are worthy of note
But to him they don't rate with Bukowski who will always be his favorite poet
I cannot say he is wrong in his thinking Bukowski as a poet was great
His poems do belong to the ages in his written words such beauty he did create

Bukowski he did live his writings one who did come up the hard way
His poems read by many poetry lovers in the  English speaking World of today
He was one who did  live his verses his poems to this testify
As a poet true greatness of Charles Bukowski is something none ought to deny

When it comes to poets and poetry Robert Vanderhope knows what he is on about
His favorite poet is Charles Bukowski of that he doesn't leave  you in doubt
He has read and written much poetry one can say of him a well read man
But Bukowski remains as his favorite of the deceased poet he is a loyal fan.

Many People Are Addictive

Many people are addictive  in some sort of a way
Some drink alcohol to excess every day
Some due to their addiction to narcotics become involved in crime
That culminates in them serving prison time
Some  with a gambling addiction one of  the worst addictions of all
Financially bankrupt into disgrace they do fall
They lose their homes and  forsaken by their wives and children when financially destroyed
Some of them depressed and broken end their lives in suicide
Many of us have our addictions like our phobias and fears
Some are addicted to nicotine and after smoking for  years
Fall into ill health and have to struggle for breath
As they die of  lung cancer a slow and painful death
I too am addicted to penning of doggerel rhyme
And i would be in prison if that were a crime.

The Former Rose Of Kanturk

She danced in the Edel Quinn Hall in Kanturk Town
In her late teens when her hair was light brown
The former Rose of Kanturk where might she be today?
Only know in Kanturk Town that she did not stay

A beautiful young woman free of conceit and guile
With the warmth of charm in her beautiful smile
Her journey in life took her to live elsewhere
To a bigger town in the big World out there

I wonder did she have children and become some  man's wife
Or did she remain childless and lead a single life?
It has been more than four decades in time i recall
Since she danced her last dance in the Edel Quinn Hall

Eventually we all become victims of time
And the former Rose of Kanturk is now well past her prime
Memories of her youthful beauty i have to retain
When in fancy i visit Duhallow again.

On What Life Is About

What is life about ask one wiser than i
I only do know we will live till we die
And what comes post bodily death i would not have a clue
If i told you i knew to self i would not be true
Though they do not have any proof of it to show
Of a life for the soul after bodily death some claim for to know
Quite sincere in their thinking they never wish to deceive
But we only believe what we wish to believe
For sucess in life with others we compete
To be best in the neighbourhood and best on the street
Our daydreams are never of failure only of renown
Though not everyone  becomes the toast of the town
On what life is about great thinkers disagree
It is a question that always seems puzzling to me.

It Is Said For Good Karma

It is said for good Karma in life we do give to receive
On such a philosophy i do believe
And those who keep taking far more than they are willing to give
With the laws of Karma have no wish to live
Any help you give to another is never too small
You give to receive in Karma that's how Karma works overall
What goes around comes around as some do say
The Universal Karma does work in this way
When you go to the aid of one  of your help in need
Of your future good Karma you are planting the seed
For the good Karma you receive in your acts of kindness you already did pay
Some people plant their good seed in their helping of others every day
For their good Karma in life they give to receive
On such a philosophy i do believe.

Though Many With Such Thinking

Though many with such thinking would disagree
We do follow the course of our life's destiny
This is  how it is and it always will be
At least anyhow that's how it seems to me
Many will tell you we do have life choices but such to all does not apply
Since circumstance of birth to many any chance of career opportunity deny
The  gift of life comes  to one only by chance
And many on how they do live are following their lives pathways of circumstance
That some do have life choices so happens to be true
And the pathway of opportunity to them is open if such they wish to pursue
And having said that everyone canot be a life 's winner since winners are few
Though to that you may say do tell us what is new
And most people with me  disagree when i say
That we follow our life's destiny every day.

Hugo Chavez

Venezuela's late President may he rest in peace
From the  pains  of killer cancer death gave him release
Not one without human flaws but in some ways quite rare
For the poor of his Country Hugo Chavez did care

His mind Hugo Chavez was always willing to speak
In the face of greater power not known to be weak
Such a person as he was respect does command
Why many Venezuelans loved him not hard to understand

Hugo Chavez as a saint will never be canonized
But as a friend of the poor of his Country he will always be recognized
And though in life he did make his friends and  he did make his foes
With most leaders this is how it is one would have to suppose

His words to some powerful leaders may have  been lacking in ruth
But Hugo was always willing to speak his own truth
Some  of what he said the powerful did offend
But those who loved him did grieve his passing as a friend

Quite a marvelous character in his own way
And though at rest from the cares of the World today
In Venezuela one honoured in story and song
Amongst the greats of his Nation Hugo Chavez belong.

This Is How It Does Seem To Be

The things in life that does interest you do not interest me
Quite different in our ways of thinking on few things we seem to agree
But our different ways of thinking does make us more interesting as some have been known for  to say
No two are on the  same life's journey in life we  go on our own way
Than me you are four decades younger in your prime and full of  youthful elan
You have such great plans  for your future a  very ambitious  young man
In love and in your mid twenties with the woman who will be your  wife
But the flame of true love it can flicker some  loves do not have a long life
As for me i am well into my sixties my better days are in the  past
When i was  your age i too was ambitious but the will to succeed in life  in me did  not last
Some will tell you that you can be materially successful if this is what in life you do choose
But not everyone can be wealthy and famous for one to win many must lose
Years ago i like you was ambitious but now  i see things differently
As we age we lower our expectations this is how  it does seem to be.

I Never Thought

I never thought i would be so long away
From the place where i first looked  on the  lamp of day
Claraghatlea a mile by road west of Millstreet Town
Where i used to live when my hair was dark brown

Though mental images of them with me does stay
Many people i knew there where the deceased are now lay
The babes when i left there now in their life's prime
There are many days in twenty six years of time

Where many did  see me as one of their own
By the young generation today there i would not be known
A stranger in where i lived in my better years
Yet for what was i've shed my last nostalgic tears

Where river Finnow to the Blackwater flow
In the fields where the rushes in clusters do grow
In late March the first flowers of Spring in numbers to be seen
And the bare trees are budding their new leaves of green

The great gift of memmory is a maarvellous thing
In fancy i often hear the dipper sing
The dark brown water bird with breast as white as snow
Does sing in the stream his kind i used to know

I may never walk in the  old fields again
And only the memories with me now remain
Of people i knew in Seasons long gone
But the now is what matters and life does go on.

So Lucky The People

So lucky the people by few people known
One can say of them that their lives are their own
So few to admire them or to verbally put them down
They never do yearn to be toast of the town
They are not the type to feel conceited and proud
And in public  places their voices never loud
Of being the centre  of attention they are not in need
Their sort of people nowadays are a rare breed
Not into self promotion in any sort of a way
We need more like them in the  Human World of today
The people who never do yearn for renown
Even strangers to many on their street of the town
Their names and photos in the newspaper one never does see
That we need more of their sort would you not agree?

On House Sparrows

Not the prettiest of birds but they are widely known
The gray and brown house sparrows have a charm of their own
Introduced by humans to Countries almost Worldwide
Birds who are happy to live near where people reside
Perhaps the  World's greatest chirpers they do not have a song
Every day of the year they do chirp all day long
Under house eaves and on shed rafters lined with feathers their straggly nests of hay
Familiar small birds i do hear and do see every day
Familiar in their chirpings their claim to bird renown
Is that they are known almost Worldwide in city and village and town
Non migratory they never migrate to Countries far away
Near to where they were born they do like to stay
Happy to live near people they seem almost tame
House sparrows for them it does seem an apt name.

The Great Gift Of Memory

Old memories in me does remain evergreen
Of places i have been to and beauty i have seen
Of people i have known and may not meet again
And only mental images of what was are mine  to retain

The sweet scent of meadow hay in sunny July
The dark swallows chasing flying insects in the sky
The soft droning buzzings of the nectar gathering bees
Taking nectar from the  field flowers and  blossoming bushes and trees

The best years in life to the forever gone
But the good memories of what has been in us live on
Of the praises of memory i feel happy to sing
Those who have lost such a wonderful gift have lost almost everything

Thanks be to for the great gift of memory is  all i can say
It carries me back to places far away
The memories of what was are with me today
And for as long as i live  hope such a gift with me will stay.

Eventually Time

Eventually time becomes everyone's foe
Like Nature's Seasons to life we come to and life from us does go
And  long after the living breath from us  has gone
Life without us as usual will go on
The celebrity, sports hero or world famed rock star
Are  not as  important as they might think they are
Like has been said often by others many times  before
They are just mere mortals that and nothing else more
To the Reaper of lives who does not respect money or fame
The life of an ant and the monarch are the same
All life forms  have a beginning and a final day
This is  how it is and will always be this way
I know when the last breath of life from my body has gone
That Nature the one true immortal will be living on.

On Sanderling

The sanderling are flying north today
To their breeding grounds on the Arctic shores from here far away
They will return with their young for to greet the southern Spring
The call of Nature is an amazing thing
These amazing travelers of the coastal sky
They travel north thousands of miles to breed and then to their southern Wintering beaches fly
For birds not much bigger than sparrows quite amazing indeed
That they can find their way far south and  then far north to breed
In Summer on Victoria's beaches them i often do see
Eating the marine life  washed in by the sea
In small flocks at low tide they feed on their tiny prey
And  from every incoming wave they turn and  run away
On their warm and sunny Wintering beaches them i often does see
These wonders of Nature are amazing to me.

There Is Always A Next Time

That you feel so disappointed one must wonder why
Since you may not have won but your best you did try
And to lose with honor is never a sin
In a Human World where many must lose for a few for to win

It is a fact of  life with us that does remain
That many must lose for a few for to gain
Why us humans with each other are so competitive  ask one other than me
Suppose this is how  we are and we always will be

Today in every village and city and town
Many young people daydream of wealth and renown
But daydreams as we know do seldom come true
And disappointment when you feel success is  your due

You feel you were not a winner when you were put to the test
But you cannot do better than your very best
There is always a next time as some like to say
And winning from you may not be far away.

As I Have Written In Rhyme

As i have written in rhyme of and often did say
That only in death i'd give rhyming away
But on this of late i've been changing my mind
That i may give up on rhyming to the thought i'm resigned
For far too long i have been a rhyming buff
And i am one who has penned a whole heap of rhyming stuff
But rhyme is not poetry most literary experts imply
And of them of their opinions none ought to deny
We all have our limitations is how it seems to me
Though the positive thinkers with this  would not agree
The people who tell us we can be anything we wish ourselves to be
Suppose through different eyes we see things differently
And though with rhyming words i'm one who likes to play
I may not be a rhymer till my life's final day.

The Town's Unsung Hero

The town's unsung hero is one who honors life
He is  nice to his children and nice to is wife
He is one who works hard for his take home pay
And  for to help others  goes out of his way
He may be unsung in his side of the town
But in his words he he does never put anyone down
He sows the seeds of good karma  every day
That actions speak louder than words of him one can say
Respect to all others he always does show
The town's unsung hero a nice man to know
To his higher self he is one who is true
And good things in karma will become his  due
Not a high profile  person he is not well known
But the town's unsung hero is in a class of his own.

Fact Does Not Lie

The truth based on fact and fact does  not lie
You do not win a war if for your Country you die
For if you lose your life  no matter for what cause all you've had you have lost
To fight and die for your Country can come at a prohibitive cost
The President is the real hero though in the war he did not fight
On his viewing box at the welcome home parade for the war soldiers a smile on his face of delight
Of the war he is the real hero though he never did fire a shot
And those who won his battles for him in time will be  forgot
The dead war soldiers will not march in the town's war parade
It is of the living that true heroes are made
Yes the real heroes of the war did survive
How great it is for them for to be alive
To march in the parade on war memorial day
The real war heroes  live for to grow old  and gray.

Noel Dennehy

Noel Dennehy was born and raised in Murphy's Terrace in distance a short walk from Millstreet Town
His kicking of the winning point for Millstreet in an under fourteen Cork County final earned him his place in his club's gaelic football renown
As a  young man he farewelled Murphy's Terrace and his many friends and parents and siblings living there
From Millstreet in view of Clara Mountain in Duhallow his life's journey was to take him to elsewhere

He found love and raised his children in Luton in England from Murphy's Terrace that seems far away
And there the journey of life for him ended and  there his last remains destined to lay
But the memories will remain with friends and family of one who was a good and kind and  caring man
Who passed from life in his sixty ninth year in human years in time not a long span

Good memories of him will live on in Millstreet where he grew into manhood from a boy
Where the games of ball with his young friends in the school-yard was something he did thoroughly enjoy
One of the eldest of quite a large family the Dennehys a  very well known Millstreet clan
In Murphy's Terrace like his many brothers and sisters the life's journey for Noel Dennehy began

Our journey in life for us has an ending for all of us a final night and day
But that Noel Dennehy lived the life of a good person of him would be a fair thing for to say
One can only hope  his  ending was not painful that from life his was a painless release
And  far from his old first home in Murphy's Terrace may the good man forever rest in peace.

Only The Fear Of Death

His face  looking old and  showing the  wear of time
And many Seasons have passed since he was  in his prime
Tired of the World and of his aging nagging wife
Happiness seems  far away from his life

No longer a member of any sports club
Though on saturday he has a few  beers in the pub
But he no longer talks of cricket and football
Sports nowadays does not interest him at all

Married to the one woman for far too long
Their bond of love broken for years it was strong
Married and living under the one roof but a  bed they don't share
Yet every day they argue and at each other swear

In his late sixties his best days in life he has seen
His eldest grandchild a young woman has turned nineteen
Their children and grandchildren the only thing in common he and his wife now does share
Nowadays stories of dead loves are no longer rare

Just one more aging sad sack of the town
In life there is many an up and a down
His better and happier days in the long gone
And only the fear of death makes him live on.

I Know Of Nature

I know of Nature her presence all around  me but of her ways  so little i do know
But having said that she is  quite amazing and my wonder of her only grow and grow
We depend on her to live just like all of her other life forms this is a fact and fact does never lie
But like all of her life  forms we are born as mortals and she alone  the one who does  not die
Super a word often used to describe some of the World's great Nations but she alone  the World's only super power
The one out of tiny dark seeds who can create things of great beauty such as a tree or blade of grass or flower
She grow the food that we depend to live on but respect to her too few of us seem to pay
I too like many do take her for granted for i too am selfish in my human way
So little i can claim to know of Nature though i have loved her since i was a boy
Her beauty it is everywhere around me and learning new  things of  her i enjoy
The Goddess of Mother Earth the one who feeds us to her our very existence we owe
We dig her ground for wealth cut down her trees home for her wildlife and do our best to make of her a foe
I know of Nature but know  little about her as her wonders many and her secrets are not few
For as long as we live  we never do stop learning and every day of her we learn something new.

Room For Self Improvement

In me as a person heaps of room for improvement this is something that i never could deny
But then such words does apply to others yes to many others this too does apply
As you should know it never does cost money to join the judgemental society of the town
The people never into self improvement who verbally like putting those down in their luck down
The  poor behaviour that we see in others is something that we never should condone
Before passing judgement on the far from perfect leave it to others to cast the first verbal stone
If everyone  of us sought self improvement the World for us living in it much better off would be
By making yourself a better person you are making the World better to live in with this sort of thinking i cannot disagree
Our words can be a lethal mental weapon when used in a disparaging hurtful way
If you do not like people it does not give you a right to judge them of one say nothing if good you cannot say
For every individual life it is a  journey a journey one day that will come to an end
In that the celebrities are no different to the paupers the Reaper of lives to anyone is not a friend
I too can make the Human World better to live in if for the remainder of my lifetime span
I am not critical of the flaws of others and i live as a kinder and a better man.

It Is Always So Sad

It is always so sad to see an aging man in tears
The alcohol stirred up in him the memories of happier years
His  thoughts  did return to his beautiful wife
For thirty nine  years the great love of his life

In the local pub where laughter does abound
One tearful aging man amongst joy to be  found
The woman he loved is dead a year today
Sad memories do linger it does seem this way

That our happiest times can become our saddest memories does seem sad to say
Their only offspring a daughter married with two teenage daughters in a town far away
On the first anniversay of his  wife's death he is on his own
Since the day of her passing much sadness  he has known

In the local pub there is laughter and  cheer
And people quite happy enjoying their beer
But one poor aging fellow feels  sad and alone
To not feel for him one would need a heart of stone

In his mid  to late sixties his better years in life are long gone
But without his dear soulmate he has to live on
Our happies times in life can become our saddest memory
Suppose this is how  it is and it always will be.

The Other Side To War

On the streets  the bands of the army play as they march up and down
And the patriots are waving their flags in the town
And the latest war weaponry is on display
Very soon to be used in a war in a Land far away

The troops from the last war where heroes were made
Wave to the cheering crowds from the passing parade
On their coats they wear their war medals with a sense of pride
They earned in a war where so many had died

The  non fighting hero and pride of his race
The president wears a big smile on his face
His well manicured wife is smiling at his side
Today arrogance seems to have  nowhere to hide

The children with their parents their national flags wave
Their dream one day to be like  the returned soldiers heroic and brave
They may yet fight for the honour of the flag in a far away town
And become war heoes of national renown

But where the war was fought and won in cities and towns far away
The mothers do grieve for their war dead today
And only suffering and tears where many lives are lost
The other side to war does come at a huge cost.

All I Can Be

I was fitter and healthier and livelier on my feet
Twenty six years ago when i lived in Millstreet
In twenty six years many a night and a day
And time  rusts steel and iron as the wise one did say

In south west Victoria life for me goes on
And the past just a memory of the forever gone
We can only live in the now and the future ahead
And eventually i will be one of the dead

Perhaps the old retired horse in the paddock does not know he will die
Yet he is no less of a mortal than i
Than to the creatures we eat we may feel superior in every way
But for us like  them there is a last night and day

Perhaps it is his way of proclaiming territory
The magpie who sings on the sunlit gum tree
And though my wonder of her ways only seems to grow
So little of Nature i can claim to know

In the countryside in view of Clara my life's journey began
And  there from a boy i grew into a man
And though the wanderlust has made a migrant of me
A Claraghatlea fellow is all i can be.

In A Human World

In a Human World where the wealthy minority to live on have far more than enough
And the millions  of homeless are living and sleeping rough
And  the gap between the haves and the have nots keeps on growing ever wide
Many millions  of people of a fair go in life are denied
And millions rendered Stateless and homeless and oppressed and downtrod
In the wars over cultures and  borders and god
But where a change for the better in their lives millions are overdue
The prophesy that the meek shall inherit the Earth may never come true
We read in newspapers and see on t v images from war zones far away
It is a troubled World the Human World that we live in today
I am not wealthy but i have  enough to eat and a home to live  in and of anything i am not in need
So for that i feel lucky yes very lucky indeed
I may have been born a child of the ghetto or a refugee
I feel grateful to lady luck for being good to me.

Lessons Not Learned

The war supposed to end all wars ended more than nine decades ago
And the enemy then is no longer a foe
But wars are still fought in the Human World of today
That lessons not learned from the past seems a sad thing to say
No sign of peace in the cultural and religious divide
Far too many for God and for Country have died
In war zones civilians have buried their dead
Where there is little hope  of peace in the decades ahead
The instigators of war from the war zones far away
Whilst others for their lust for power and arrogance with their lives do pay
The praises of non fighting old war instigators some sing
Suppose in the  Land of the Blind the  one eyed man is king
In the war zones of the World every day more are injured and more  lives are lost
And even victory in war does come at a  huge cost.

In Birdsland Today

With sharp hook on bill and in feathers of dark brown and gray
The gray butchebird is singing in Birdsland today
In the cool of the morning just after daybreak
His bubbling sort of music none ought to  mistake
The  laughter of the  kookaburra raucous and shrill
Echoes in the high wood of Belgrave South hill
And the birds who build cup shaped nests of mud on low branch of tree
The magpie larks sing their often repeated pee wee
And the birds who do sing every day of the year
The flutes of the magpies melodious and  clear
And the moorhen and wild duck calling on the lake
And the harsh cries of the swamphen none ought to  mistake
In a place from utopia that is not far away
The wild birds are singing in Birdsland today.

I Am From

I am from the place of jackdaw, rook and gray crow
And dark brown river bird dipper with breast white as snow
And gray badger who leaves it's set in the fading twilight
To search for  food in the fields under the cloak of night

I am from the fields where the rushes do grow
Where Finnow from Gneeves to the Blackwater flow
There in view of old Clara my life's journey began
And from a young boy i grew into a man

But from there in sky miles i live far away
And there to many i would be a stranger today
It has been twenty seven years since i heard the robin sing
In the grove by my first home in the prime of the Spring

I am from the countryside by Clara Hill
And in my flights of fancy i can hear the rill
Babbling in the old fields swollen by recent rain
The memories of what was with me does remain.

Despite

Despite wars and famines the World human population is on the rise
Seven billion plus and increasing a huge amount of people  for our Earth Mother to feed many seem to realize
Yet despite all of this far more people are born every day than those who do die
I only talk of fact here and as you know fact never does lie

Despite Global Warming and Climate Change the human population on the increase by the day
That this is a cause for worry it does seem this way
For our Earth Mother coping with rapidly changing weather patterns it is a struggle indeed
For to grow food for so many people for to feed

Yet the Bishop of Rome with so many followers opposes all forms of birth control
He preaches to his  flock that such sinful practices are damnation to the soul
And the poor Catholic mother of eleven children with another on the way
Says my child  must be born the Pope i must obey

Due to the human need for more land and more homes  to live in Nature's creatures losing out
That we have  not learned from the mistakes of our ancestors does seem beyond doubt
The human population like wild rabbits do breed
Putting pressure on our Earth Mother with more mouths for to feed.

Goodness In Your Mind

Be kind to the living and speak well of the dead
The past is behind us and the future ahead
Why worry and stress yourself live in the day
Life is for the living it does seem this way
Not everyone as we know are born to be great
As a hero or heroine for the masses to celebrate
A large fan club for yourself you may not create
But goodness in your mind you can cultivate
Though she helps those in need of helping and in words never puts anyone down
The aging grandmother will never be toast of the town
Most of our heroes and heroines are dashing, handsome and young
But many great people to be found amongst the unsung
Your's may not be a famous and well admired face
But you can make the Human World to live in a far better place.