Something I Can Understand

Why asylum seekers risk their lives and some of them drown in sinking boats trying to reach Australia is something i can understand
For it truly is the Country of opportunity this wonderful southern land
Of beautiful coastal cities and wide open spaces the home of the emu and roo
Of wombat, wallaby and koala and  many species of rosella, lorikeet and cockatoo

But refugees who have fled persecution the Stateless from Lands far away
Are not made welcome by the Australian Government and this does seem a sad thing to say
They are sent to Nauru and Manus Island to be confined in limbo for years
Their journey in unseaworthy boats to Australia does end for them sadly in tears

Some compassionate people do live in Australia but like everywhere else they are in minority
But the Government are only interested on the votes of the majority
And the majority of Australian voters are known to be  anti boat refugees
In Australia as in any other Country racism does come in varying degrees

In Australia the great southern Country career opportunity is rife
People from war zones and drought affected areas of the World for to reach there do gamble with life
To find in Australia welcome does not await them who would wish to be a refugee?
For the victims of bad circumstances how sad indeed life it must be.

The Song Of A Goldfinch

The song of a goldfinch in thought sends me far away
To the northern groves in the prime of the May
The beautiful birds with the twittering song
By sight or by sound one could never get wrong
Mostly fawn and gray and dark brown and wing tips of gold
And red band on forehead above pointy bill birds lovely to behold
Their open cup shaped nest placed on outer fork of high branch of tree where the female bird lay
Four to five bluish freckled eggs by leaves from view hidden away
Whenever i hear or see them in memory i go back in time
To the  green countryside where i penned my first rhyme
And this is going back many Seasons ago
Long before time it did become my foe
And though time  does tick on the happy memories remain
And the goldfinches are singing in my mind again.

The Great Gift Of Love

The poets and the singers it's praises do sing
The great gift of love is a wonderful thing
And those with love in them to give  are lucky indeed
Though of more of their kind the Human World is in need
Since they are the people who are nice to know
As they have been born with the inner glow
Thanks to their gift of love they are compassionate and kind
And those down in their luck a friend in them does find
The  people who do some good deed every day
No greater gift than love it does seem fair to say
In life it is said we must give to receive
On such a philosophy i do believe
And since every day of Karma they plant the good seed
Those who have love in them are lucky indeed.

Russell

To be the top feline in the neighborhood is Russell's claim to renown
Cherie Amor's big black and white tabby is the cat about town
The other tom cats in the neighborhood of him live in fear
That he is the boss cat does seem obviously clear
His nicer side to people big Russell does show
In his side of the town the cat everyone does know
The neighborhood dogs ignore him since Russell from them never backs down
It is due to his lack of fear he has become the top cat in the town
To his human neighbors a few times every day
Big Russell the feline a visit does pay
But other cats scared when to them he is near
And out of his sight they quickly disappear
Cherie Amor's big black and white tabby Russell by name
To be top cat in the town is his claim to fame.

In That Beautiful Place

Far from the noise of the big town street
In the beautiful place where the waterways meet
The gray shrike thrush is whistling today
From the human hive of industry in view of the hills far away
Where natural beauty and peace does abide
Out there by the hills in the far countryside
In the home of the wallaby and kangaroo
And the big dark brown parrot known to many as the yellow tail black cockatoo
Where the creek flows into the river bound for the ocean shore
A journey of thirty kilometers or more
A pair of dark brown monarchs of the  southern sky
The great wedge tail eagles do soar as they fly
In the bright sunshine of a beautiful day
Where the waterways meet by the  hills far away.

Since The Opinions Of Others

Since the opinions of others no business of yours anyway
Why worry what others of you have to say
As long as they do not broadcast lies you to defame
It is so wrong for to lie to harm another person's good name
As long as they only highlight your every human flaw
Against them airing their opinions on you there is not any law
That you may learn less about yourself  from a friend than you do from a foe
Is something that only happens to be so
You may feel offended when negative things of you others do say
But negative things are being said of people every day
But as long as they do not broadcast untruths of you
There is nothing about it that you can do
Negative things are said of many as well as you and me
Suppose this is how it is and  it always will be.

It Is True About Rhyme

It is true about rhyme it is easy to write
And easy to read and easy to recite
But rhyme in the Literary World is not faring well
Since the twenty first century literary critics dismiss it as doggerel
In their estimation a rhymer is  not a poet
And  therefore not worth of literary note
On who is or who is not a poet they like to have their say
Our judges of literature in the World of  today
Though rhyme in it's many forms is living on
The day of the rhymer in the  forever gone
The exclusive poetry organizers to read their work rhymers never invite
Though their rhymes in their local pubs they do recite
Suppose everything  it does  have it's day
And with rhyme in the twenty first century it does seem this way.

On Climate Change

The weather is getting warmer by the year
And that Climate Change it is with us  is quite obviously clear
For future generations when i am long dead
Some hard and poor times of them may be ahead
Jobs at the expense of carbon emissions at present may seem okay
But the future generations  for our greed may well have to pay
Since  the Polar ice caps are melting at a rapid rate
Human beings as well as all other life forms of the World face and uncertain fate
Since human created carbon emissions seem out of control
Global warming of the natural environment has been taking toll
Job creation at the expense of the natural environment to many may seem a good idea
But due to global warming a much harder World to live in for future generations seems a reality
Due to melting of Polar ice caps sea levels are rising at a rapid rate
Which does not give any of us a reason to celebrate.

Old Adrian

Though clearly not the man he once used to be
Old Adrian looks well for one  of eighty three
He still enjoys a few beers at the local pub
The five times best and fairest with the local football club
In his prime the best footballer for miles around
In the  nineteen fifty six grand final the best player on ground
When he inspired the team to a  premiership flag
Though of his football achievements he never does brag
Five years ago he buried his wife his beloved Eileen
Their only child John died in Vietnam when he had just turned nineteen
As a noble young hero in a war far away
Life is  not all laughter as Adrian does say
A likeable person and friendly to meet
And for one of his age quite lively on his feet.

Myles

Every-time Cherie or Jason takes him for a walk
To other people with dogs they cannot stop to talk
Since Myles with other dogs does like to fight
Some heelers in a good  scrap do take delight

But towards people Myles the blue heeler towards aggression uninclined
Since he is one  who does love human kind
As far as humans go Myles wants to be everybody's friend
And dogs as we know do not know how to pretend

At thirteen years old Myles long past his canine prime
But he is one who seems unfazed by time
For one of his age on his feet he is quick
And he does run fast to fetch the thrown ball or stick

Cherie or Jason always walks him on a lead when on the street
For Myles wants to fight with every dogs he does meet
But he greets humans in a friendly way
At everyone he wags his tail as if to say good day.

On The Day That Brandy Died

A cold wind from the mountains blew across the bare countryside
And behind the low gray clouds of rain the sun in permanence did hide
Old Brandy she was dying our brown companion dog
She never more would chase a  hare in Jack the Master's bog

Clara cloaked in the fogs of rain hidden from the naked eye
Since that bleak early December day near six decades gone by
In the backyard shed on her bed of straw she drew her life's final breath
Our companion dog we loved for many years we grieved for her in her death

That sad memory from years ago today remains in me
We buried her in the backyard by the crab apple tree
Old Brandy our companion dog in courage and fidelity did not lack
We wept as we placed her in her grave in a gray hessian sack

In life there is joy and sadness that fact with us does remain
And the sad and joyful memories of the past till death we do retain
I recall the cold wind soughed in the naked trees in the bleak countryside
Near sixty years ago in time on the day that Brandy died.

Only Memories Of What Was

The years have  left me looking old and gray
Far south of those old green fields far away
That i may never walk upon again
And only memories of what was with me remain

Yet in fancy on a calm evening in May
In the twilight of a beautiful Spring day
On a silver birch i hear the robin sing
The gift of memory is an amazing thing

The white breasted dipper with the high pitched song
Sings  where the river rapids do babble along
The thrush sized water bird with breast as white as snow
His ancestors were birds that i once did know

In the countryside where i was born and raised in i grew to love Nature as a boy
And learning of her ways today i enjoy
But of Nature so little i can claim to know
And my wonder of her never ceases to grow

Far north and far inland from Hibernia's shore
In the fields of Claraghatlea in view of Clara that overlooks Claramore
I learned my first lessons in Nature many Seasons ago
And many decades before time  did become my foe.

It Is The Fear Of Death

It is the fear of death i only fear
And every day i live to me it is one day more near
I only fear what is  the unknown to me
Due to the ego born of my mortality
It is only Nature lives forever more
Few people in years live beyond four score
Though the fear of death it is a natural thing
It's praises you will not hear many sing
As long as the breath of life in us it does remain
Our will to live transcends physical pain
And since death does leave us lifeless as a stone
I do fear death and in that i am no alone
Since death for us it is forever more
And few do survive beyond the four score.

A September Evening

After recent rain everywhere lush and green and the weather dry and fine
And the magpies are warbling in the warm sunshine
The nesting birds singing on the bushes and trees
For September the weather temperatures a near perfect twenty two degrees
The local farmers this  year have no cause to complain
Everywhere looking green after good spells of rain
Their livestock at market fetching good prices such news good to hear
Financially for them this may be a good year
The year's first white butterflies make for a pretty sight
On silent wings flitting in the sunlight
The praises of Nature one can only sing
On this beautiful evening in the early Spring
The parkland quite green after the recent showers
Is looking resplendent in Nature's wildflowers.

The One Eyed One Does Rule

In the 'Land Of The Blind' the one eyed one does rule
And the one eyed often in ways can be cruel
The broadcasters of fear often chosen to lead
Since the gullible majority believe what they hear of and read

Many political power-brokers  believe in their own lies
The truth from the public they know how  to disguise
And  one lie leads to another lie as the wise one did say
Some politicians do lie through their teeth every day

Us gullible voters not hard to deceive
But then we only believe what we want to believe
The lust for political power is an addictive thing
Those who have it do try their best to it to cling

The praises of flawed people the majority sing
And in the 'Land Of The Blind' the one eyed man is the king
In politics honesty does not seem to pay
But that our political leaders are our reflective mirror it does seem this way.

As A Rhymer As Such

As a rhymer as such by some i am known
Suppose that we all do have ways of our own
We follow the course of our life's destiny
Like the river that journeys it's way to the sea
How boring we would be if we all were the same
If every sports minded person did follow and played the one game
If everyone were a scientist, celebrity, artist, novelist or poet
Then anyone would not have the honor to be known as one worthy of note
Our different ways makes us more interesting as people would you not agree?
At least anyway this is how it seems to me
If on all things we agreed how boring we would be
Suppose even at that there would still not be Worldwide harmony
Though we share things in common and all come from a similar seed
And red is  the blood we are born with to bleed.

Of Miracles At Tubrid

So many stories of it i have heard storytellers tell
If published in book form copies of it would readily sell
How drinking of it has saved many from the premature farewell bell
The miracles clear waters of Tubrid's holy well
Drinking mugs of it has saved the lives of many cancer sufferers of a premature end
I tell it as i heard it as i am not one  to pretend
To Tubrid near Millstreet Town in the month of May
Hundreds of religious people do flock for to pray
And drink the clear bubbling waters of the  famous spring
Of the praises of Tubrid so many do sing
Of miracles at Tubrid many stories  are told
Of people who were dying young but survived to grow old
Drinking Tubrid's clear spring water was their miracle cure
But of how truthful these stories are i cannot be sure.

Joe In His Nineties

Old Joe in his early nineties with gray hair on his balding head
Is ten times a great grand dad Jane his wife is long dead
He was in his life's prime more than sixty years ago
But you never hear him say time  has become his  foe

He goes for a five kilometer walk in the  park every day
In his  fight against aging and physical decay
He does not look like one who is ninety three
At least anyway this is how he seems to me

Quite a nice old fellow he seems  free of guile
He always greets people with a toothy smile
He has the mobility of  far younger man
And he looks quite fit and healthy for one who has lived for more than a nine decade time span

Six decades of years at least past his life's prime
Old Joe seems unfazed by the  passing of time
You are as young as you feel you are as some like to say
With Joe in his  nineties it does seem this way.

The Man From Millstreet Town

He has lived through many Seasons and his hair is silver gray
And it does seem very obvious he has known a better day
But he always does seem happy one who never does seem down
He does not feel old in any way the man from Millstreet Town

He does have so many stories of his old Hometown far away
Of the characters he knew  there good memories with him does stay
Of the girls and boys he went to school with them he never more will see
But to live and grow old in Millstreet not in his life's destiny

One who does enjoy a few beers a man of  laughter and song
On Saturday evening at the local pub he joins in the sing along
In Millstreet today he might feel a stranger but the memories with him remain
Of the Town in view of Clara he may never see again

A grandfather in his mid seventies living with his long time Aussie wife
One who loves the Southern Country and the Australian way of life
He has seen a lot of Seasons since his hair was light brown
When he played football with his young friends in the Park of Millstret Town.

Ella Caron

Some women in their  love lives cannot seem to win
They do not seem long married when marital troubles begin
Ella Caron is one who has had it with men
After her four brief marriages to Jim, Michael and Andy and Ben
From four husbands she raised six children five girls and a boy
She will tell you in her four marriages there were more tears than laughter and joy
The youngest of her children a daughter has just turned nineteen
And she is five times a grandmother her better days in life she has seen
With light brown hair dye she cloaks  her aging gray
She will turn fifty six on her next birthday
To four alcohol addicted wife beating husbands she was a good wife
She did not have much luck in love in her life
She says for as long as she does live as single she will remain
She has vowed that she will never marry again.

Apollo Bay

By the Pacific Shore by the wooded hills from here far away
On Victoria's Great Ocean Road is the Town known as Apollo  Bay
For it's beautiful beaches and coastal scenic beauty it is known World-wide
A gem of Victoria's coastal countryside
Good memories of  such natural beauty with me does remain
Of a place many who have visited do wish to visit again
Apollo Bay it is more than a beautiful Town
For  it's hospitable and friendly people  it has earned itself widespread renown
Utopia can hardly be too far away
From the old coastal Town known as Apollo Bay
Tour buses carrying overseas visitors arrive there every day
And some even do linger for a longer stay
In Apollo Bay with a charm of it's own
That for it's beauty and hospitable people has become widely known.

Nature Will Live On

Millions of centuries after the life from me has gone forever more
The huge white surf waves will pound the high cliffs of the shore
And the gannets from great heights into deep waters will dive
To prey on and eat small fish who must die for them to survive
And time of all life forms will remain as the foe
And the Seasons to Nature will come and will go
Some believe in this paradise beyond the  sky
Where good souls post bodily death with wings to there does fly
But any deceased person i have known have not come back to me to tell
Of these supposed after Earthly life Worlds of heaven and hell
But i do know that the mother of all life forms Nature will live on
And will do so when i am long forgotten and the life from me has gone
And her wildborn songbirds will whistle and sing
In their nest building time in the prime of the Spring.

Some People Judgmental

Some people judgmental they are born to be this way
On others they always like to have their say
But that they do fail to realize one has to wonder why
That judge not and thou shalt not be judged to them too does apply
For to meet the  judgmental you do not have to walk far
No further than your nearest local public bar
Some of the town's opinionated people like to socialize there
But then no shortage of their kind anywhere
The judgmental kind people like to compare
They differentiate between the battler and the billionaire
To some they look up to and  on others look down
The  upholders of the social rank of the town
Some beyond their own shortcomings never do see
As judgmental they are and they always will be.

The Compassionate And Kind

Though their sort are plentiful one would have to agree
They are such a credit to humanity
To help those in need of helping they go out of their way
And perform a good deed or two every day
They have the rare gifts of being compassionate and kind
And their very equals would be hard to find
And a few of their sort i feel privileged to know
The seeds of good Karma every day they do sow
Though they never do become the toast of the town
They always comes to the aid of the one feeling down
Since they will not desert you in your time of need
To have  one as a friend you are lucky indeed
We need more of their sort the compassionate and kind
He or she is a person with a beautiful mind.

A Man's World After All

Compared to the media coverage male celebrities receive female coverage seems small
And no doubt there is truth in the saying 'it is a man's World after all'
Even in the twenty first century so many Countries in the World where women are socially kept down
For women than men it is so much harder to achieve the status of renown
Serious crimes against women committed in the World every day
And that the  offenders are mostly males seems fair enough to say
In many Countries the fair go for woman kind never did or will never apply
That millions of women by men are sinned against one never ought  deny
Stories of brave male heroes we read and hear of every day
It is a man's World after all it sure does seem this way
So few women ever cited for acts of bravery
Though women for corporal works of mercy by far in majority
Yet women by many seen as inferior to men is how it does seem to me
Though many males i am sure with this would disagree.

Stop The Boats

We will stop the boats says Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott but the Indonesian Government with them does not agree
They say asylum seekers on our Islands to leave are completely free
And if the Australian Navy turn back boats carrying asylum seekers these boats we will not allow to land
We hope Tony and Scott will heed our message and the Australian Government will understand

That Indonesia to Australia is not subservient this game of 'Stop The Boats' with them we will not play
The Australian Government  will never tell us what we should do since we do things  in our own way
Boats taking asylum seekers from Indonesia only allowed back empty to our shore
If the Australian Government stop the refugee boats we have a  surprise for them in store

Since he became Prime Minister of Australia 'we will stop the boats' Tony Abbott has no longer need to say
In his case negativity did surely seem to pay
He instilled in the majority of Australian voters the need of poor and Stateless people for to fear
From him in opposition only negativity we did hear

We will stop the boats said Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison most politicians come to power by lies
But that the  refugee boats in Australia keep arriving does not come as a surprise
The 'Stop The Boats Game' the Indonesians will not play with them the Liberal-Nationals now aware
But they are now in power for three years and this is all they care.

I Have Been Told

I have been told i ought to give rhyming away
That in rhyme i have said all i have to say
But with words i am one who likes to have a play
One reason i do write more rhymes every day
My worth as a rhymer i have reason to doubt
But in life and Nature one is  never short of things to write about
How good to be living on this nice day in Spring
The wild born nesting birds whistle and sing
The flute of the magpie melodious and clear
September is such a nice time of the year
In Nature there is always so much to admire
And of singing her praises i never could tire
Everywhere i turn to look Nature's beauty i do see
And every day new rhymes keep coming to me.

The Peddlers Of Fear

From many politicians economic gloom and the threat of terrorism is all we do hear
Why do we vote into parliament the peddlers of fear?
For the  fear mongering kind  on election day we cast our vote
And ignore the politicians that peace does  promote
The peddlers of fear create us against they
And of any hope of peace in the World they stand in the way
The politics of fear is such a negative thing
In the Land of the  blind the one eyed man is  the king
In the abattoir the Judas sheep leads it's kin up the slaughter ramp to their deaths every day
But unlike political leaders  the leader sheep unaware it's kin it does betray
Our political leaders for sake of power us do deceive
But bigger fools we are them for to believe
They send their men for to fight for them to Countries afar
And they tell us who our friends and who our enemies are.

Old Danny

What hair he has left on his bald head is silver gray
Old Danny has surely known a better day
But he does feel happy just to be alive
And he does look fit and healthy for one of eight five
He never did father children or never had a wife
Though many women have come and have gone from his life
He does  look as sprightly as a twenty five years younger than he is man
As opposed to one at the twilight of his life span
He does seem as happy as a carefree boy
And every day of his life he does enjoy
The theory old men go to bed early he has proven wrong
On Saturday night in the pub he joins in the sing along
And out-drink young men who are in their lives prime
Until the barman calls for last drinks at closing time.

Self Effacement

Some people on themselves are harder than tough
They convince themselves they are not good enough
Though not lacking in talent they will never know of wealth and fame
Due to their lack of self confidence which does seem a shame
For self betterment self effacement is not a helpful thing
In a Human World where many their own praises do sing
Many into self promotion for themselves do quite okay
This is how it is in the Human World of today
The praises of self nowadays so many do sing
In the twenty first century it has become the in thing
We live in the age of the  me, myself and  i
Where the self effacing person as an almost unknown does live and will die
Self effacement in the twenty first century seen by many in a negative way
And  this indeed does seem a sad thing to say.

Farewell To Julia Gillard

Though far left of her ways of thinking and for her i never would vote
In the history of Australian Politics she is one well worthy of note
As Australia's first woman Prime Minister she achieved something great
The woman born in Barry in far away Wales her own history did create

Farewell to Julia Gillard who never lacked in will and political fire
In her one can say that there is much to admire
But by her opponents within and outside of her own Party she was treated in the shabbiest way
For being Australia's first woman Prime Minister this is the price she did pay

Say what you like of Julia Gillard but the fact does remain
That a Prime Minister like her in Australia will not be seen again
Her speeches on equality for women have made her known Worldwide
That she is one of courage of her cannot be denied

Farewell to Julia Gillard she did things in her own way
But on her generous Prime Ministerial pension she will be okay
When the last of those who opposed her to the ways of time have gone
As Australia's first woman  Prime Minister her fame will live on.

On Mangan

He lived in the famine years the National bard of Ireland
And that he died as a pauper at a young age not hard to understand
Since he was a poor person and tough times he had known
But as a poet James Clarence Mangan was in a class of his own
Life for him was tough one might say Earthly Hell
And the sad story of Ireland became Mangan's story as well
And little use to him now enduring fame
That post bodily death his it has become a legendary name
In eighteen forty nine he died in his forty sixth year his best had not been seen
The author of  'The Woman Of Three Cows' and 'Dark Rosaleen'
And  'A Dream Of Connacht' and 'O Hussey's Ode To Maguire'
Generations of poetry lovers his poetry inspire
He died as a young man without a penny to his name
But his poetry lives on to his enduring fame.

Maura Buckley

One of the most beautiful in the Parish in her life's prime
This is going back maybe four decades in time
Yet for one of great beauty down to earth and a nice person to meet
Maura Buckley of Ballyvouskil near the Town of Millstreet
So sad to learn from life she has passed away
That in the old cemetery at Drishane her last remains lay
I remember her as a dark haired beauty lovely to behold
She died perhaps in her early to mid seventies people quickly age and grow old
On looking back the Seasons one realizes how quickly time has gone
Whilst life all around us as usual goes on
But memories of what used to be with us remain
And in fancy i see Maura Buckley again
Walking in Millstreet Town many decades ago
Long before time it did become her foe.

We Know All Too Well

We know all too well life is so unfair
On the people who know of their black moods of despair
Condemned to be on medication for as long as they live
To some people life heavy crosses does give
Where darkness is light one cannot hope to find
I do pity those with darkness of the mind
Sad to think in their lives they may never come to know
Of the happiness in the warmth of the inner glow
And sad to think their kind are no longer rare
Whose mental crosses in life for them are heavy to bear
With their black moods they do have to live every day
That life for them is so hard only seems fair to say
And at a young age some of them even decide
For to end their lives in the act of suicide.

The Magpie Larks

The magpie larks build their cup shaped nest of mud on fork of low branch of tree
And all through the day sing their song of pee wee
Of Australian birds amongst the better known
And of them one might say they have ways of their own
Birds that i do see and hear every day
They never migrate in their territories all year they do stay
I hear them sing every morning at daybreak
Their song of pee wee one could never mistake
Familiar to many and familiar to me
Dainty black and white birds i do often hear and see
With people nearby walking up and down
I have often seen them searching for insects on the street of the town
Known as magpie lark or mud-lark or pee wee by name
They seem happy to live near humans and are almost tame.

A Fellow From Millstreet

Wherever i go to my past follows me
And a fellow from Millstreet is all i can be
From Claraghatlea in view of Clara Hill overlooking Claramore
In sky miles far north of this southern shore
The tag of the migrant to me may apply
But my heritage to anyone i never deny
And though far south of Claraghatlea i may live my last day
The memories of what used to be with me stay
Where mine to many was a well known face
Today i would be a stranger to most in my first homeplace
But the old fields i loved to me would look the same
Many of them i did know by their given name
A fellow from Millstreet i will be till the day i do die
To say any different would be telling a lie.

We Always Were Happy

We always were happy though financially poor
And Spring always brought with it birdsong to the groves of Annagloor
But since then time it has become my foe
For this is going back many Seasons ago
Though a pink breasted feathered minstrel of the Spring of the year
The song of the chaffinch i fancy i hear
My first lessons in Nature were in fields far away
And i did love her then as i love her today
Their loud cawings carrying in the freshening breeze
The rooks building their nests on the tall trees
The past may be gone but the memories remain
And in fancy i often visit the old fields again
In Annagloor when the wren does sing in the hedgerow
In the home of the rook and jackdaw and gray crow.

Of What Used To Be

With a wife and two young children he is in the big city for the long stay
The young man from the town by the hill far away
Though he sometimes thinks of his games with the home-town football club
And the enjoyable nights at the weekend with his mates at the pub
Though only in his mid twenties and in his prime day
Football is a thing he no longer does play
He has to work to support his wife and young family
A baby year old daughter and a son of three
And since he is one who takes his responsibilities in life seriously
He does not play football as he does not want to miss work through injury
He fancies he can hear the gray butcher-bird sing
In the park of his hometown in the early days of the Spring
But only the memories with him does remain
Of what used to be but will not be again.

Cannot Say I Care Much

Cannot say i care much of what the literary dons have to say
Of the women and men of rhyme of today
To them poets do not write in rhythm and rhyme
And such stuff does belong to another time

To them poets must write in language that is akin to prose
We all have  our opinions one must suppose
But the opinions of the literary critics and literary dons seems to be those that does count
And the opinions of all others on poetry to nothing seems to amount

Long deceased poets such as Masefield and Burns and Mangan and Clare
And Service and Lawson to me seem beyond compare
But they seem out of fashion in the Literary World of today
The changes keep happening as some like to say

Since by people  of literary degrees the death of rhyme hurried on
The days of the rhymer in the forever gone
But modern poetry does  nothing for me
Though many with such thinking would disagree.

Look No Further Than Me

You can easily convince yourself that you are not good enough
And you can throw in the towel when you find the going tough
But success does not come to those who for it do not try
And failure awaits you if hope you deny
So many stories of failure from the big World out there
A negative attitude in life never gets one anywhere
Yours may not be  the name others know to recall
Though in to try and to fail there is no shame at all
The winners make history as we have been told
And the most famous Olympians win Olympic Gold 
To be successful in life a positive attitude one does need
Those down on themselves never seem to succeed
For an example to this look no further than me
Since i do fly the banner for negativity.

The Town Far Away

On the tall trees by the town far away
The dark rooks are cawing at the twilight of day
With a chill in the breeze in the Fall of the year
The colder and wetter Winter days are near
On the streets not much traffic few cars pass up and down
There is a calm quietness in the old country town
With a population of mostly aging people most of the young are away
In the bigger cities where there is more work and  much better pay
At night things are quiet in the old country town
Where few people are outdoors after sundown
Where many of the  local publicans their trading licenses did sell
And those still in business not doing financially well
In the town by the mountain from here far away
Where the rooks  caw on the high trees at the twilight of day.

You Are What You Are

You are what you are this is all you can be
And you in your ways are quite different to me
We do look at life one might say differently
Since on few things we ever do seem to agree
On our political opinions the gulf between us is wide
With the majority way of thinking on this you are on side
They cannot be your friends of this much i am aware
Those with whom you have nothing in common to share
Each time we do meet to each other we have little to say
Except good morning or good evening or have a nice day
He is a good person for this respect to him i do pay
But we do see most things  in a different way
We share little in common but this suits me fine
And what is his  business is no business of mine.

Burns

He died as a young man when in his life's prime
But his poems and songs have survived the test of time
In death the fame lives of the legendary man
Robert Burns the pride of his Country and Clan

As a primary going schoolboy when my hair was dark brown
I first heard Burns 'Afton Water' sung in Millstreet Town
By an Irish traveler at the September horse fair
A memorable song with a beautiful air

I became acquainted with the  poetry of Burns when i was a boy
His poems  and his songs to the millions bring joy
A song of his always a joy for to hear
His 'Auld Lang Syne' the anthem of the new year.

He did not grow old to die as an old man
But he did make  the most of his short life span
He laughed, drunk and made merry and his poems live as great
In his lifetime a legacy of beauty he did create

The great bard of Ayrshire in Scotland of his Country the pride
Through his poems and songs Robert Burns name is known Worldwide
More than two centuries deceased but in death the legend has grown
Of  the one who remains in a class of his own.

Fact Never Lie

Just like poor quality grapes never do make good quality wine
In the top class restaurant the poor one never dine
The poor one lives on the poor side of the town
And only know the ways of the financially down

Everyone cannot be wealthy aand famous as the wise one did say
But then human life does seem structured in this way
This is how it is and it always will be
For some to be wealthy many in poverty

For to live poor and  homeless anyone would not choose
But in life for one to win someone else has to lose
Though with this way of thinking most would disagree
We all look at life one might say differently

But one thing in common everyone does share
The poorest of the poor and the multi billionaire
Is that we are all born as mortals and destined to die
A mere fact of life and fact never lie.

This Is How It Is For Many

The child born to a homeless mother in life has been born to lose
And to begin life as a pauper anyone would never choose
But thousands of children are born into poverty in the World every day
Without any hope for a good future this does seem so sad to say
Many people famed and wealthy by their birth circumstance
Those born to very poor parents of success in life have little chance
How circumstance of birth defines a person's future does not seem hard to explain
The one born to disadvantage as disadvantaged does remain
The homeless kids of the poor suburb are born to battle the odds
Destined to live poor and hungry as the children of the lesser gods
The children of very wealthy parents are very lucky indeed
They have only themselves for to blame if in life they don't succeed
But little chance for fame and success for one  born in poverty
This is how it is for many and how it will always be.

Tony Abbott He Will Save Us

In Australia political change all for the better by the Murdoch media we are told
The Liberal-National Government will take  us back to the nineteen fifties to the happy days of old
When all Aussies they were well off no such a  thing as poverty
We are heading for the good times  happy days for you and me

Tony Abbott he will save us from the boat refugees
And he will cut back on carbon emissions and reduce global warming by one point five degrees
By giving farmers grants in money for planting millions of trees
Though those allergic to pollen in the  Spring will cough and sneeze

The billionaire miners who had been panicking since they had to pay a little tax
The mining tax will be abolished they can now smile and relax
Tony Abbott he will save them he is their hero of  the day
For the  hero of the wealthy let us  hear the loud hooray

That taxes have to come from somewhere truer words have not been said
Since the Australian Liberal-National Government does not want to tax the wealthy they will tax the poor instead
Of the working poor and those on welfare poor and hungry years ahead
With a right wing Coalition Government in office hope for the  have  nots seems dead

Gays in Australia not allowed to marry though they can have sex at home
For his moral inspiration Tony Abbott looks to Rome
But for a known to be a devout christian Tony in his ways seem strange
He believes on punishing boat people and he does not believe on climate change

Since he expects the  Australian pay as you earn workers of taxes to pay the big share
Tony Abbott is a hero to every multi billionaire
He believes on a fair go for the privileged but not on a fair go for all
Yet the one who is a hero to many in his thinking does seem small.

Your Past In Reality

Your past in reality well may be gone
But wherever you go to you it does follow on
The memories of what used to be with us stay
For as long as we live till our last night and day
In life the fruits of the seeds of the Karma we sow we receive
On such a philosophy i do believe
Your sins of the past will return to haunt you
What we do to others to our own selves we do
Those with kindness and compassion have a rare gift indeed
And of more of  their kind in the Human World we do need
In life we must give to receive happens to be true
And  of the Karma we sow the fruits we are due
And though your past in reality well may be gone
Wherever you go to you it does follow on.

Memories Of The Irish Travelers

From village to town in their Romany horse drawn vans
They traveled on the by roads the Irish traveling clans
People who were not restricted by borders or range
But the late nineteen fifties to their way of life brought great change

In my boyhood years the Irish Travelers were widely known
And one can say of them they have ways of their  own
Traveling tinsmiths by trade and at fairs horses by them bought and sold
And of them many stories and poems written and told

Though since the nineteen fifties their ways of life has changed in many a way
That they are great musicians and singers of them seems fair to say
Around their camp fires at night i recall as a boy
Their sessions of music and song a memory to enjoy

Their life and travels in their Romany horse drawn vans now a thing of the past
And few things in life ever do seem to last
But in fancy i hear them playing music and singing again
At their by roadside camp fires at night in the drizzling rain.

The Poet Of The Town

To be a great writer her claim to renown
A very talented woman the poet of the town
Though well into her eighties loved and widely known
One might say of her in a class of her own
She never gave birth to a child or never was any man's wife
The  writing of poetry her greatest enjoyment in life
The many books of  poems she has written have always sold well
One  loved by the publishers since her books of poems  readily sell
A nicer person than she is one could not wish of to know
And it can be said of her she has the inner glow
And though the years on her beginning to show
Her popularity as a poet only seems to grow
And one might say of her she has earned her renown
As a very talented person the poet of the town.

Michael Casey

Michael Casey lived in Tooreenbawn all of his life
And  there he  raised his family with Margaret his deceased wife
It is so sad to learn that from life he has passed away
That in the old Millstreet cemetery at the West End his last remains now lay

Hard working and honest and compassionate and kind
Any human flaw in Michael Casey would be hard to find
In his long life he see many a Season come and go
And he made many a friend and he did not have a foe

In life the seeds of good Karma he did sow every day
And to help others he often went out of his way
Of anyone  he never had unkind things to say
Fond memories of the good man he was with all who knew him will stay

From Tooreenbawn in the flesh he may be gone
But his spirit in the place he loved will live on
One who always seemed happy and was never heard to complain
Though he too knew of mental and physical pain

From life  one  can only hope he had a painless release
In the old cemetery at Millstreet's West End he now is at peace
A good friend  to many in his long life span
Michael Casey of Tooreenbawn was a good man.

That And Nothing More

It is something you may have heard me say before
I write rhymes for enjoyment that and  nothing more
I add to my growing numbers of them every day
If i did not enjoy rhyming i would give it away
It could not be for money or it could not be for fame
That i do it as mine  is not a well known name
And i am not wealthy or never will be from penning of rhyme
Though i have been doing it for four decades of time
I have never pretended for to be a poet
Nor do i feel worthy of literary note
I have been doing it and enjoying it since  nineteen seventy three
And an ordinary rhymer is all i can be
And it is something you may have heard me say before
I write rhymes  for enjoyment that and nothing more.

The You Hear This Group

The  voices of the 'You Hear This Group' for me far too loud
The people of their life's achievements who seem far too proud
Of their own and their friends life's successes they do like  to tell
On the achievements of self and family and friends they sure love to dwell
They meet at the pub every Saturday night
And in competing with each other on stories of self they do take delight
For to hear their stories them you need not be standing near
Anyone in the pub them never fail to hear
Over the years the volume of their combined voices only seems to have  grown
And by the nickname of the 'You Hear This Group'  they are locally known
Well to the fore in the local self promotion scene
They like to be heard and they like to be seen
On talking of the achievements of self and family and friends they find delight
At the local pub on a Saturday night.

From Nature I Learn

From Nature i learn something new every day
In life one never stops learning it does seem this way
One  gets to know birds by their chirps and their song
But in bird recognition by voice i have often been proven wrong
And though my wonder of her only does grow and grow
So little of Nature's ways i can claim to know
And though her wonders are many her secrets are not few
Every day from her we do learn something new
That Nature is quite amazing one cannot but agree
In my walks every day she has new surprises for me
The wildflowers in bloom and the  nesting birds chirp and sing
How can one but not feel happy on such a nice day in Spring
And though my wonder of her only does grow and grow
So little about Nature i can claim to know.

The Seasons To Our Lives

The seasons  to our lives do come and do go
And eventually time becomes everyone's foe
Three score and ten years the average human life span
And a few years more for a woman than it is for a man
And  nothing in life ever does seem to last
On looking back in time the prime  years went so fast
Time does not wait for anyone it ticks and ticks away
And the great gift of youth with us has a brief stay
The best years of our lives in a decade has gone
And the biological clock it does tick on and on
And  for each one  of us  there is a final Fall
The journey in life it does end for us all.

The Yarra

From the foot of Mt Baw Baw by night and by day
Through Melbourne  City the Yarra crawls on it's way
An old water-way even in the Dreamtime
The inspiration of song and story and rhyme
By the banks of the river in the shade of the trees
Australia's first people had their Corroborees
How old is old Yarra would anyone know?
From Victoria's high country through Melbourne it does  flow
The Seasons have come and the Seasons have gone
But old Yarra from the high country as ever flows on
Some call it the river that flows upside down
As it's waters never look clear it always flows brown
Through Melbourne City slowly crawling on it's way
To the Pacific Ocean at Port Philip Bay.

For Success In Life

For success in life most people with others compete
To be best in your neighborhood and best on your  street
To work your way up to become the best in the town
On your hoped for journey to Worldwide renown
For many this is what life is all about
The one  who is down is the one  counted out
Everyone wants to be a winner that is how it seems to be
Though in comparison to losers the winners are in minority
At what they are good at most people want to be best
But many found to be wanting when put to the test
For one to win others must lose as some do like  to say
In life this is how  it is and it will always be this way
The loser just one more anonymous name
To the winner goes all of the honor and fame.

Perhaps I Would Be A Stranger

Far south of Hibernia's wild windswept shore
And  even further south of the Millstreet roadway to Rathmore
In the town park the black and  white magpies of bills silver gray
Are singing in the bright and warm sunshine today
Above  the fields of Duhallow the cool winds of Autumn blow
And the streams swollen from recent heavy rains to the big river flow
Bound for the great ocean many miles away
Old memories with us  through the decades does  stay
Where mine years ago was a well known face
Today to many i would be a stranger in my first home-place
Suppose with most other migrants it is much the same
In their first home-place theirs become an almost unknown name
Perhaps i would be a stranger today where i often walked before
In Claraghatlea near Millstreet Town on the roadway that leads to Rathmore.

You Have A Life Story To Tell

The judgmental who only know of you may dismiss you as a never do well
But you are not less as important a person as they are and like them you have a life story to tell
You may not have climbed to the summit of Mt Everest or at the Olympics won coveted gold
But you too do have a life story though your life story may never be told
You do know of life's good and bad days though your story many may not inspire
You love life  and you are kind in your ways and in you there is much to admire
You may not be a billionaire or a famous person and  though a stranger to wealth and  to fame
You are a compassionate person and you treat everyone as the same
The Human World better for you living in it you do your good deeds every day
To help people in need of helping you always go out of your way
Your life story if written in book form would make for an inspiring read
For you live your life as a good person and by good example you lead
Your life story may never be written in book form for you are not famous and widely known
But as one who lives as a good person you are in a class of your own.

For All Of Us

For all of us there is a last December and  for all of us there is a final Spring
But life as usual will go on without us  and at their nesting time the birds will chirp and sing
And grass will grow and flowers will bloom as usual and there will be pink blossoms on the fruit bearing trees
In early Spring with weather getting warmer and the chill of winter is  not in the breeze
We are mere mortals Nature lives forever the  one with the power new life for to create
The longest human life in time is not long and  life's Reaper is the one to seal our fate
The billionaires no different to the paupers we are mere mortals death is for us all
Eventually death it does make us equal to the lower life forms that wriggle and crawl
It does not seem that long since i was a young man in the vibrant bloom of my life's prime
But since then there has been a lot of Seasons for that is going back forty years in time
The Reaper can claim our life's breath without warning on how long we live we do not have a say
Our biological clocks as ever keep on ticking the very seconds of our lives away
For all of us  there is a last December what is  for you will also be for me
Since we are born to life to live as mortals and death is  for us all eventually.

From Geelong To Warrnambool

The countryside from Geelong to Warrnambool has never been looking so green
Miles and miles of fenced and big paddocks with few enough trees to be seen
It has been a mild and wet Winter and plenty of grass for hoofed mammals this Spring
Rain and sunshine are our gifts from Nature and Nature's workings is an amazing thing
In a fertile part of Australia the finest of good farming Land
Where i have yet to see a grazing mammal hungry that should not be hard to understand
Just one  area of a very big Country for Australia is a vast Country indeed
But a very fertile region that millions of people does feed
Much of Australia is drought ravaged and barren i have been in areas bare and dry
But to south western Victoria the term of fertile does apply
The farmers of this part of Australia can find little cause to complain
No shortage of grass for their animals in paddocks lush and green after rain
But of farmers from many areas of Australia good stories of late we do not hear
From months of drought their animals hungry for them a  bad financial year.

So Many Sad To Say

So many sad to say too many do know of the struggles of life
Of poverty, homelessness and depression and  worries born of inner strife
The victims of war, droughts and famines and the victims of bad circumstance
The people cruelly referred to by the judgmental as life's losers of a fair go deprived of the chance.

From war and terrorism and the suffering and death they do bring from war torn cities far away
Poor people are fleeing in their thousands to the refugee camps every day
The innocent victims of war lords in fear of their lives flee to elsewhere
But few of them ever find a welcome in the bigger World out there

Even in so called wealthy Nations that are war free poverty's ghost does abound
In the poor suburbs of the big cities the homeless not hard to be found
Where the children of poor and dysfunctional parents become homeless at a  young age
And die young in their late teens or early twenties as the victims of violent fueled rage

So many far too many people in their lives are doing it tough
The homeless for whatever reason go hungry and have to live rough
In a World where many are so poor no such a thing as a fair go for all
Compared to them i am so lucky and my biggest worry does seem small.

This Suits Me Fine

On what is success ask one other than me
For on such you and i cannot agree
The wealthy and famous are those you admire
And of singing their praises you never do tire
But that we all are quite different it does seem fair to say
And  we all see success in a different way
To me the successful person helps the poor one in need of helping without for it expecting pay
And does a good deed sometimes two every day
Those with compassion and empathy seem a rare breed
One might say of them they are blessed indeed
They may not be wealthy and famous and widely known
But one can say of them they are in a class of their own
Your heroes and heroines are different to mine
But that is your business and this suits me fine.

How Marvelous Life Is

How marvelous life is on a day like  today
In the sunny blue sky just a few clouds of gray
The magpie lark sings his familiar pee wee
A bird familiar to many and familiar to me
The splendid colors of Nature an amazing thing
The capeweed in bloom on the fourth day of Spring
A poet of such beauty would feel inspired to write
A poem for lovers of Nature poetry to read and enjoy and recite
The wattle trees covered in yellow blooms a sight to behold
The capeweed in their millions  in their petals of gold
Introduced from South Africa in Australia a  designated weed
But when in full bloom to look at quite pretty indeed
The magpies singing in the sunlit park by the bay
How  great to be living on such a  nice day.

So Little Of Nature's Ways

So little of Nature's ways i can claim to know
Yet my wonder of her only does seem to grow
And from her we do learn something new every day
We never stop learning as some  like to say
Every day in Nature something new  i do see
At least anyway something that is new to me
In Nature most creatures have their own way to survive
The other day in the shallows of Lake Pertobe i watched the coots dive
To stir up stuff on the lake bed which causes tiny water life to rise
Which they eat at the surface Nature's creatures have evolved in the ways of survival more than we realize
And though her wonders are many and her secrets not few
From our walks every day of Nature we learn something new
And that we never stop learning until the day we do die
Is a fact of life and fact never lie.

Lazlo

Though the clock on their lives does keep ticking fast
Most migrants even in old age do retain memories of the past
Of the Homeland and the memories of there good and bad
Sometimes in nostalgic moments people do feel sad

I know this old fellow he is eighty three
Ten times a grandfather and an ex refugee
In the nineteen fifties his Homeland of Hungary he was forced to flee
Life's happier times  he did live for to see

The mother of his children Louise his  long time Aussie born wife passed on six years ago
And the seasons of time have become Lazlo's foe
The better years of life he surely has known
Yet he seems quite happy though living on his own

Out walking in the  town park off of high street
Lazlo is one that i often do meet
He tells me for the past he does not have any tears
And he has not been back to Hungary for twenty one years

As a naturalized Australian he  grows old and gray
And in the  Southern Land his  last remains will lay
Back in the mid fifties as a young refugee
The Land  of his birth he was forced for to flee.

For Early September

For early September in early Spring such a very warm day
And by the weather forecast for the rest of the week it will remain this way
A forecast high for the day of 25 degrees
And warmth in the sunshine and hardly any breeze
In forested areas people living in dread
Of bush fires in the  supposed to be warm Summer ahead
From the wet and warm for Winter weather much burnable fuel on the ground
And the  threat of  huge fires in such places abound
The weather patterns over a period of time seems unseasonably strange
No doubt we are in a time of Climate Change
For human created carbon emissions for this  humans must take some blame
Our abuse of our natural environment is  to all of our shame
A warm day for early September and more warm days ahead
And people in forested areas of bush fires are living in dread.

Whilst Life All Around You

He is one you dislike greatly by your words on him one can tell
But why do you revel on his Earthly Hell
You seem happy that financially he is doing anything but well
As on the subject of his financial misfortune you do like to dwell
You like to call him a loser of the town
And you smile to know he is  financially down
But your attitude at the news of his financial bankruptcy says more about you
And the sort of person that you are than words can ever do
A former business partner of your's that you say owes you money something he does deny
That to disputes and dislike it can lead to money does apply
But when you smile in satisfaction at his  financial downfall
It shows in some ways you are not a nice person at all
You cling to your perceived wrongs against you of the past but the past it has gone
Whilst life all around you as usual goes on.

You Can Only Be

Of your inhibitions you may never be free
But you only can be the best you can be
To live as a  good person and never harm anyone
Is the best form of success when all is said and done
Not everyone can know of wealth and renown
And be admired as a hero of the town
Though wealth and  fame in life does seem to count
At the end of life's journey these to little amount
Though lack of  money it never does win one a friend
It is how you live your  life that does count in the end
The one  with compassion and empathy may not be well known
But his or her sort of person in a class of their own
For people with such gifts though known to be rare
For the poor and marginalized do genuinely care.

For What I Believe In

Who wins the  September the seventh 2013 Australian Federal Election Labor or the  Coalition Parties why should i even care
Since anything in common with any of them i do not have to share
Both of their policies are anti natural environment and anti refugee
So who wins or who loses will not matter to me
And though i do accept i am one of a political minority
We are what we are this  is all we can be
Any of the candidates i will vote for in Parliament will not win a seat
But to vote for what you believe in is never defeat
In politics as in life we cannot always get what we choose
And  for one for to win someone else has to lose
What we wish for in life we do not always receive
But we should always stand up for on what we believe
And though i know i will not be voting for a winner on Election Day
I will be voting for what i believe in and this with me is okay.

On The First Day Of Spring

This morning in the  gray of dawn on the first day of Spring
In the backyard i did hear the  male blackbird sing
A voice from once  heard one could never get wrong
The dark golden bill bird has a beautiful unmistakeable song
And the black and white bird who sings every day of the year
The  beautiful music of the silver bill magpie a joy for to hear
And every wild born nesting bird chirp, whistle and sing
On the first of September of the calendar Spring
A forecast high for the  day of twenty degrees
And on a beautiful morning with only the slightest of breeze
Near to perfect weather for the Spring's first day
So good to be living is all i can say
To hear in the backyard the male blackbird sing
In the gray of the dawn on the first day of Spring.

Joe

Joe in his early seventies his balding head silver gray
And clearly he has known a far better day
But in talking to women he does have a way
Charm has sex appeal and never does age as some are known to say
Joe's only child Mandy in her early forties has two teenage daughters though he has never had a  wife
He always has had a  woman in his life
With his latest fling a beautiful divorcee in her mid thirties he walks to the pub arm in arm
One can say of him he can turn on the charm
Though time no longer on his side it has become his  foe
Many younger unattached women feel quite attracted to Joe
That men who are attractive to women have a talent none ought to deny
And Joe like a  magnet attracts women to him without even bothering to try
Far better days in life aging Joe has known
But apart from this  he is in a  class of his own.

If You Are One

If you are one of the few who has the glow within
Then you are creating for yourself a beautiful World to live in
The good side of others you only wish for to see
You are one blessed with the gifts of compassion and empathy
To have  the  gift of seeing only the good in others is a rare gift indeed
And the Human World of many more of your kind is in need
You do not differentiate between color and race
And you greet everyone with a  smile on your  face
You feel no desire to be the toast of the  town
And in your words you never put anyone down
You are one in your ways and your thinking not small
For you do believe on a fair go for all
And since goodness is a thing you can only embrace
The Human World for you living in it a much better place.

I Used To Think That

I used to think that i would go back to Millstreet to grow old and die
But if i told you i feel this way today that would be a lie
In this great Southern Land i may live my last day
And it does not worry me where my remains will lay
The nostalgia i felt for Millstreet Town and countryside
With the passing of time in me all but has died
 I have grown to love this great Southern Land
Though my accent some do struggle to understand
And only the memories with me now remain
Of faces and  places i may not see again
Though the old  fields i loved i know would look the same
Most of them i recall had their own given name
The nostalgia i felt for Millstreet with me did not stay
And it may not be by Cashman's Hill my last remains will lay.

Hatred

Hatred can lead one to serious crime
That can culminate in the punishment of a lengthy spell of jail time
Not any good for the health of the  mind
The one who harbors hatred not one of the happier kind
Some sins against you may be hard to forgive
But harboring of a grudge that can lead to hatred is not a good way to live
Perhaps one would be better off for to let bygones be gone
And with the business of living life carry on
Not good for the mind to be harboring a  grudge
Leave it to the one who sins against you to karma for to judge
A crime motivated by revenge shame on one only does bring
And is never known for to solve anything
Hatred only eats your peace of mind away
Leave the one who has wronged you to karma to pay.

It Is True Enough

It is true enough that life it is a journey
A journey one day that does  have an end
It is  the same for the monarch and the pauper
And the billionaire why otherwise pretend

For some the  journey in life laden with honors
But their kind are in the minority
For many it is a tough uphill struggle
And many is a growing majority

Yes for so many life's journey is a struggle
A rough old road to travel one might say
Of  homelessness, sadness and disappintment
On a journey that does not have an easy day

It is true enough that life it is a  journey
An easy journey only for the lucky few
To this you may say you know all about it
You only tell us something we already knew.

If By Chance

If by chance i die tomorrow some who know of me might say
In life he may not have been successful but he enjoyed a good laugh every day
One more atheist now with Satan condemned to eternal hell
Though there he may not be unhappy penning reams of doggerel
There are far worse people than him though he could have done  better in his life
Known to be a peaceful person one  who never beat his wife
Yet he was quite unambitious and  he wasted too much time
Daydreaming he would be famous whilst penning reams  of doggerel rhyme
Yet despite his many failings in some of his ways he was not small
In his words he  never put down others and believed on a fair go for all
But his soul is not in heaven since in God's existence he did not believe
With the damned he is forever what we deserve we receive
Yet if he has with him pen and notebook he will not be unhappy in hell
For he finds pleasure and enjoyment in penning reams of doggerel.

I Never Was

I never was any use as an athlete
Even in my best years far too slow on my feet
Without any success in a few races i did compete
As a  younger man on the  roads of Millstreet

I played the  team games of hurling and soccer and Gaelic football
But at any of them i was of no use at all
But to me now this hardly does matter that much anyway
Since the years have left me looking  older, bald, wrinkled and gray

I was born and raised by a  northern town
Where to be good at sports was your ticket to renown
And  though their record speaks  for them more than words can say
The top sports people of my younger years have known a better day

The champion sports people when in their life's prime
Eventually do become victims of time
And  though any sporting successes are not mine to recall
It hardly does matter to me now at all.

They Know Everything

Those who like to talk but to others never listen their own praises usually only sing
From life never seem to learn since they think they know everything
Though we need self love too much of it to narcissism can lead
Such people only of self wish to talk of and hear of  and read
So many into self promotion in the  Human World of today
On any given subject they will have their say
Without realizing it they are of the ordinary into self promotion in quite a  big way
To those willing to listen they sing their own praises every day
Their lives do seem to revolve around the me and the myself and i
Narcissistic in their way of thinking they will be till the day they do die
Those who like to talk and never listen and their own praises only ever sing
From everyday living it does seem they never do learn a thing.

I Just Wish To Write Something Worthwhile

I just wish to write something worthwhile something that would outlive me in time
And as of yet this has not happened though i have written a whole heap of rhyme
I am not out for fame or for fortune just to write a rhyme that would live on
Something with my name to it when the breath of life from me as gone

I am not a poet one of the rare few something i never pretended to be
I am just your average rhymer though the rhymes keep on coming to me
I do love the rhythm that is in rhyme for years i have been a rhyming buff
And i know i am just one of the many who has written a whole heap of stuff

Of years i am six with the three score a rhymer since seventy three
The rhymer does string rhymes together whilst the poet becomes famous from writing poetry
If of penning rhyme i became bored i surely would  give it away
But it is something that i enjoy doing so i write more rhymes every day

I just wish to write something worthwhile that in decades from now would be enjoyed when read
But i know that may never happen i will be of the forgotten dead
But rhyming helps to keep me happy and  i hope to be doing it till the day i do die
For if i did tell you any different i would be telling you a lie.

In Most Cases

In most cases little time we have to spare
For those that in common we do not have much with to share
That a conservative and a socialist have little in common would you not agree
At least anyhow that's how it seems  to me
But if we all thought in the same way how boring we would be
Though some in their way of thinking become one  of the marginalized minority
Were you ever at a party or community gathering where you felt the odd one out
Where with those present you had nothing in common for to talk about
And where to most your's was a stranger's face?
It is not a nice feeling for to feel out of place
Yet how boring we would be if we all thought in the same way
Variety is the  spice of life as the wise one did say
Though with those of similar thinking we have most to share
In this am i telling you something of which you are aware?

For You

For you life is just a  great battle a battle you wage every day
Just to keep mind and body living as success from you seems  far away
When you are poor you know who your friends are to many the poor are not known
But you are not the  town's  only poor battler in that you are not on your own
The factory you worked in made you redundant your wife left you and took your only daughter they now live elsewhere
She grew tired of living the poor life she went to try her luck in the World out there
It is not your fault you became redundant the reason you lost your daughter and wife
For people like you life can be a struggle as you do know about the hard life
On poverty line welfare benefits you struggle for to pay the rent
On buying food and paying your  bills your paltry fortnightly income you have spent
But you are a hopeful sort of a person and all hope out of your life has not gone
And though you miss your wife and your baby you realize your life without them must go on
For you life is just a great battle but of hope you never despair
And you never do complain of your lot and you never say life is unfair.

Fearless

The young man who was my neighbor was one without fear
One who always felt happy with danger to him near
The bravest young person by far in the Town
From the most dangerous challenge he would not climb down
To take risks in life one who was always game
One who lived up to 'Fearless' his given nickname
One who reveled in danger he liked to live in this way
Men like him do seldom live for to grow old and  gray
He took one risk too many and took it too far
And he died  at the wheel of his very fast car
And almost instantaneous  his life came to an end
When he failed to slow at a very tight bend
Not yet in his life's prime he had only lived for twenty years
And his parents and sister and his girlfriend for him in tears.

Above The Rushy Fields

Near Liscreagh just west of the Town of Millstreet
O'er the rushy fields where the  rivers do meet
The skylark is caroling in the gloaming gray
Unseen in the darkening clouds in the fading light of day
A voice of the clouds that one cannot get wrong
The skylark a bird familiar in his song
A voice i first heard as a very young boy
Fond memories do bring me moments of great joy
On a Summer evening the lowing of a cow
In a rushy field by the River Finnow
The past may be gone  but the memories remain
And often in fancy i visit the old fields again
And the skylark is singing in the twilight gray
Above the rushy fields from here far away.

Out Of Honesty

Few do becomes millionaires out of honesty
But you only can live to be as honest as you can be
Your past will return for to haunt you one day
And honesty at the  end always does pay
Dishonesty through greed is now more prevalent than at anytime
In human history as we are in the age of corporate crime
When it comes to corporate crime the justice system seems to fail
As few  corporate criminals ever spend time in jail
A lot of corruption in the  Human World of today
And that money speaks every language it does seem this way
And though the dishonest for their crimes not always made to pay
That the  honest can hold their heads high does seem fair to say
Few do becomes millionaires out of honesty
This is how it is and it always will be.

It is Not For

It is not for the dead that one ought to weep
But for the living poor condemned to sleep
In drafty disused factory doorway or a door-less shed
Uncovered with the cold ground for a bed
In a World where some must lose for one to win
For the forgotten poor a hard World to live in
For them there is many a hungry night and day
In a fair Human World it would not be this way
The social gap has never been so wide
So many due to circumstance of a fair go in life denied
Weep for the  poor and the homeless instead
Of those free of all living cares the dead
But far more than your pity the living poor do need
Since tears a hungry stomach does not feed.

You Surely Are One

Tomorrow is coming and yesterday has gone
And we live in the now and life does go on
And though any success in life you may find hard to win
You do make the World better for to live in
Since to help others you do go out of your way
And you do your good deed or two every day
The seeds of good karma for yourself you have sown
And for your acts of kindness you have become known
And though financially you may never become a millionaire
You have compassion and empathy and people like you are rare
By your acts of kindness you sow for yourself Karma's good seed
And  the Human World of more of your kind are in need
Compassion and empathy are traits you do show
You surely are one who has the  inner glow.