Tony Abbott

Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott in his ways is so small
He believe on a fair go for some only but not on a fair go for all
By his Government's offshore incarceration of boat people he is anti refugee
A hypocritical person is how he seems to be
Tony Abbott is anti gay rights in his opposition to marriage equality
He will never be a great leader of the twenty first century
By his negative policies one can assume that he has taken note
That Australia like most Countries has a huge conservative as well as a redneck vote
For to keep the majority of voters on side to Tony it is obviously clear
That you got to be able to play to their fear
By his fear mongering on terrorists and terrorism he keeps many voters on side
That Tony loves power just for power sake of him cannot be denied
It would indeed be a huge Worldwide surprise
If Tony Abbott was ever short listed for the Nobel Prize.

Sharia Law

A law where it is legal for a man for to beat his wife
And where to insult the supreme being or renounce your religion could cost you your life
Where there is less value in a family placed on a daughter that there is on a son
And where a man can have four wives and of husbands a woman only one
In some Countries for one to survive you must toe the religious line
Where it is legal for a man for to marry a girl of nine
For women there will never be equality
This is how it is and seemingly will always be
Countries where a person who steals for to feed his or her children is punished by the severing of a hand
The reason for such an extremely cruel law is beyond me to understand
A law that is unchanged for centuries and will not change in the centuries ahead
Where to marry one of another faith may well have you dead
I only speak of fact your own conclusion draw
Of what is known Worldwide as Sharia Law.

It Is My Precious

It is my precious Kathy and my precious Eve
And my precious Johnny and my precious Steve
They are so very clever and so much like me
And so very talented genius is in my family
My eldest son George in science has his degree
My children will create their own history
Have i not a right of them to feel proud
And in public places their praises sing loud
It is my precious Andy and my precious Bill
And my precious Jenny and my precious Jill
Of the praises of their children so many parents sing
In the twenty first century this seems the in thing
It is my precious Linda and my precious Con
In the age of me and mine the boasting goes on.

Illowa In Late May

The sun out and shining a beautiful sight
On the green paddocks of Illowa in the sunlight
In changeable weather with a freshening breeze
On a cool sort of a day around sixteen degrees
A magpie is warbling on a sunlit gum tree
And the magpie larks sing their familiar pee wee
The start of the calendar Winter just one sleep away
And the deciduous trees are losing their brown leaves of May
An hour ago the gray sky was drizzling rain
But nice to see the sun out and shining again
With May almost ended and June and Winter quite near
The weather can change quickly at this time of year
The countryside looking healthier than it has been for awhile
And the recent rain to the farmer's face has brought a smile.

Quite Small

My achievements in life are quite small
And i have nothing to boast of at all
One born not to be to the fore
I just want to live as a better person nothing more

To live the remainder of my life span
As a decent and a far better man
And in hope of good Karma for to plant the seed
By helping anyone of helping in need

A Godless man of me is true
And what i receive from life is my due
An almost unknown of the country town
Without pretension to wealth and renown

Many of us humans have a craving for success
And others we do wish for to impress
The things known as money and fame
For swollen egos are often to blame

My needs in life are rather small
I wish to live as a better person that is all
And the sins against me i wish for to forgive
I just want to live and let live.

On The Irish Referendum

The grip of the Catholic Church by them has been broke
The voters of Ireland on Gay Rights have spoke
From them to marriage equality a resounding yes
In the ballot boxes their preferences they did express
In the Country i lived in on a long bygone day
On the road of change the people of Ireland have come a long way
The twenty first century great changes to Ireland did bring
And change for the better is a wonderful thing
That Gay Rights are Human Rights does happen for to be true
And such a change in Ireland is long overdue
The voters of Ireland have done themselves proud
The voice of change in their Country of late years quite loud
Gay Rights are Human Rights the Irish voters agree
This is how it is and how it ought to be.

Matt Gilsenan

It has been many years how long i cannot say
Since Matt Gilsenan for Millstreet senior Gaelic Football did play
But sadly for the Millstreet Club with them his was a brief stay
A year or two from Duhallow found him further away

From County Monaghan for the Millstreet team a wonderful player
Tall and stylish and agile his kind always rare
On his leaving of Millstreet for his home far away
For the Club and it's supporters a very sad day

One never found to be wanting when put to the test
And never out of his depth against Cork County's best
With a mighty leap and quite quick on his feet
As good and this is saying something as the best of Millstreet

Perhaps the years have left him slower and gray
One can only wonder where he is today
A handsome fellow from Ulster for Millstreet fans to celebrate
In his prime Matt Gilsenan a Gaelic Football great

The memories of what was keep coming to me
On my flights of fancy big Matt i do see
Under intense pressure refusing to crack
From midfield driving Millstreet into attack

No player from Monaghan has played Gaelic Football for Millstreet since then
Matt Gilsenan he was a man amongst men
Every club of a few quality players as he was in need
He was a fine Gaelic Footballer indeed

Since Matt Gilsenan played for Millstreet many years ago
Time that rusts iron to many has become a foe
With pride and distinction he wore the green and gold
And surely his story deserves to be told.

I Do Know That Time

I do know that time is running out on me
And i wonder how many more Springs i will live for to see
When i am one of the forgotten of the forever gone
The magpie will sing and life will go on
Four decades of years beyond my physical prime
Though it does not seem that long on looking back on time
The weeks do go quickly and time ticks away
It does not wait on anyone as the wise one does say
I feel lucky to be amongst the living of today
Some of those i went to school with amongst the deceased do lay
I just wish for to live on for as long as i can
And die without pain in my sleep as a very old man
In the blue sunny sky just a few clouds of gray
How nice to be living on such a nice day

Cardinal George Pell

Of late things for him are not going at all well
The venerable and honorable to many Roman Catholics Cardinal George Pell
Some of the former abused children in the Ballarat Royal Commission said of the abuse he did know
And of that he is hiding the truth the suspicion does grow

The financial C E O of Francis the Archbishop of Rome
George Pell is known to be quite an important person a long way from home
But a few of the many children abused by the jailed priest Gerald Risdale says the then Bishop Pell did realize
And that he is one of those who believes his own lies

It is clear that some of the Ballarat victims of sexual abuse by the stories they have to tell
Do not agree with the denial of any lack of knowledge of the crimes of Gerald Risdale by Cardinal Pell
It does seem that Cardinal Pell than the victims of abuse by lying has far more to gain
Why i have come to this conclusion do i have to explain

Cardinal George Pell the Financial C E O of Pope Francis in the Vatican today
One might say for himself in life he has been doing quite okay
But since in our associations with criminals we must wear some taint
The Cardinal is hardly what is known as a living saint.

In Illowa This Morning

The first of June and the calendar Winter only four sleeps away
And it is cool though sunny in Illowa today
But a magpie he is warbling on a black wattle tree
And the magpie larks are calling their familiar pee wee
The up to three weeks ago brown and bare paddocks after the recent rain
Are looking green and healthy the grass is growing again
And the contented cattle chewing their cuds at ease gaining weight by the day
On the nutritious young grass no longer in need of hay
In Illowa this morning the sunny sky is clear
And the migratory cattle egrets back amongst the herds it is this time of year
They eat the fleeing insects that the cattle disturb as they graze
The workings of the one known as Nature never ceases to amaze
In the blue sky above Illowa just a few clouds of gray
The weather is quite pleasant for late Autumn and May.

Warrnambool

The weather often windy the Winters slightly cool
But it never does get very cold in coastal Warrnambool
And the City of greater Warrnambool is known far and wide
As a City worth a visit in Victoria's south west coastal countryside
For it's warm and friendly people it is very well known
It would be true to say of Warrnambool that it has a charm of it's own
It's coastal parks and gardens amongst Australia's best
One can say a gem in the crown of Victoria's south west
A city i often visit and in truth i can say
That from bright and breezy Warrnambool Earthly Utopia is not far away
Thunder Point and Lake Pertobe, The Breakwater and Stingray Bay
And Flagstaff Hill and The Botanic Gardens worth a visit any day
Of Australia's coastal Cities it remains to the fore
Bright and breezy Warrnambool on the Pacific Shore.

You Cannot Always Be Happy

You cannot always be happy life does not work in this way
And not every day for you can be a good day
I recall the words of a wise aging female sage as a boy
She said if you have not known sadness you cannot appreciate joy
Back then i was far too young for to realize
That she was a person who was very wise
One does have to feel for the unhappy millionaire
And their sort nowadays are no longer rare
That their money a worry to them does seem a sad thing
Any happiness to them it has failed to bring
For our happier moments we ought to feel glad
And to appreciate happiness one must know how it is to feel sad
This is what the wise woman said to me when i was too young to know
That they are lucky indeed those with the inner glow.

Far Greater In Old Millstreet Town

His short clipped hair greying did show traces of brown
He bragged of his Suburb and it's people of renown
But his brow in a furrow in a perplexed frown
When i told him far greater in old Millstreet Town

Tall and broad shouldered in his early forties and built like a bull
Of alcohol it did seem he was almost full
By the look on his face i could easily tell
That what i said to him with him did not go down well

He growled of your Millstreet can you to me name
The people from there who are worthy of fame
I said in Millstreet famed people by the score
Far too many to name at least a hundred or more

He spoke with a slurred voice through a gap in his teeth
Perhaps with his big mouth an angry fist did meet
A well known pub brawler one from a tough street
With him i decided i ought to keep sweet

For with him i had no wish for to pick a fight
That would leave me bruised and bleeding and a battered sight
My remark on Millstreet had pushed him to the brink
Though he did calm right down when i bought him a drink

Every-time now i do meet him in the local pub
He brags of his Suburb and their football club
I listen as he boasts of his men of renown
And never say far greater in old Millstreet Town.

Mortality For Us

Mortality for us is a fact and fact does not lie
For whatever you achieve in life you eventually must die
Death brings an end to worry and fear and self doubt
One does have to wonder what is life about
Like all other life forms we are mortals why otherwise pretend
And this life journey we are on does have an end
It is only the fear of death that we do fear
To most people this must be obviously clear
The longest lived human life in time not a long span
On an average a few years more for a woman than it is for a man
The oldest person i ever met of years was one hundred and four
Perhaps one of her age i will meet never more
A few years ago her life's journey came to an end
We are born as mortals why otherwise pretend.

It Is True That Love

It is true that love is the greatest gift to the human mind
Without it people cannot be compassionate or generous or kind
Those with love are understanding and for those doing it tough feel sympathy
It is lack of love in an individual that causes lack of empathy
A lack of love does give rise to corruption and greed
Of many more with the marvelous gift of love the Human World is in need
There are so many kinds of love and all of them are great
And of love it is often said that more love it does create
There are many forms of human love far too many for to name
Those with love are non racist and treat everyone as the same
And those with love perform acts of kindness and do good deeds every day
And to help those in need of helping often go out of their way
It is true that love is the greatest gift bestowed on human kind
And the person who does have it has a beautiful mind.

It Has Been So Many Seasons

It has been so many Seasons since i see Finnow in flood of brown
Flowing bank high in the old fields just out of Millstreet Town
Or seen the hawthorns quite resplendent cloaked in their white blooms of the May
And the cattle on nutritious young grass gaining weight by the day
I have not seen the fields of Claraghatlea for close to three decades of years
But for my memories of the past i have shed my last nostalgic tears
Still in my flights of fancy with Pudsy the brown female dog
I hunt in the fields of Claraghatlea and Con The Master's bog
Pudsy a tough dog loyal to her end did stay
And though she passed on years ago i recall her today
We only can live in the now and the past in the forever gone
But good memories from the long ago in our thoughts do live on
And on my flights of fancy i can hear the silver back crow
Cawing on an ash tree in the twilight near where Finnow waters flow.

Oh Sing Me A Song

Oh sing me a song of the brown creek from the hill
That flows by the country town and the old grain mill
On it's long journey to the big river to the Pacific shore
A journey destined to last for forever more
Where the magpie is warbling on a sunlit gum tree
And the dainty black and white magpie lark sings his familiar pee wee
It has flowed to the river long before the first people came
And long before the big southern country was given a name
To the big river by night and by day
That flows to the ocean from the foot of the brown hill far away
How old is the old creek would anyone know?
It has flowed for centuries before the birth of the first roo or kookaburra or crow
By the old grain mill in the old country town
It babbles on slowly through paddocks of brown.

Renowned Survivors

It is said that one breeding female mouse gives birth to forty young a year
Words of the experts on rodents that i read of and hear
Forty young in twelve months does seem quite a lot to me
If this be true the mother mouse has a huge family

In Australia's grain country in the Fall the mice plagues quite a sight
The grain that they do not eat they are known to destroy of a grain crop overnight
A mouse on virtually every head of ripened grain an amazing sight to see
A man who had witnessed such a thing i recall once told me

Billions of mice are poisoned every year but their kind somehow survive
Where most other creatures would starve to death the tiny rodents thrive
To breed often and give birth to many young perhaps is Nature's way
For the female mice to insure the survival of their kind those in the know do say

That mice will never become extinct is a fact none can deny
Their main means of survival is they quickly multiply
In the mice plagues in Australia thousands of acres of grain by them are destroyed
And that they are renowned survivors of them cannot be denied.

The Years Go By So Quickly

The years go by so quickly seems like only yesterday
That i heard the robin singing by my first home in May
The sunshine on his orange breast on a leafy birch tree
In the warmth of the Afternoon proclaiming territory
The years went by so quickly time did not wait for me
And all i have are the memories of the what used to be
Time does not wait for anyone it ticks and ticks away
The schoolboy of the fifties is showing his years in gray
The dark brown river bird dipper with breast as white as snow
His scratchy song was echoing where the babbling rapids flow
I have learned a lot in life since then for that was long ago
And time that ages everyone has since become my foe
And all i have are the memories of the what used to be
Like an orange breast robin singing on a leafy birch tree.

An Ordinary Man

An ordinary man he is supposed for to be
But he does not seem ordinary to me
As a sculptor of wood beauty he does create
Were he good at sports he would be one many would look up to as great
He remains as a stranger to local renown
The talented man of an old country town
As a sculptor of wood his reputation has grown
And far beyond the borders of his hometown he is widely known
He is quite a happy man in his life
With two lovely teenage daughters and a beautiful wife
As a sculptor of wood the best for many kilometers around
And people like him in numbers never abound
One who does not like the limelight he is happy for to stay
Where he is looked on as an ordinary fellow since he likes it this way.

Suppose This Is How Life Is

Doesn't matter if in life you are not doing well
You like all others have your own stories to tell
Of towns and places you have been to and people you have met
Some of them quite memorable and some you would rather forget
Of the autobiographies of some famous people millions of copies are sold
Though the life stories of many will never be told
Suppose this is how life is and will always be
The impressionable majority create celebrities is how it seems to me
The judgmental may not rate you as a success
But you have your own story to tell nonetheless
We all have our stories of our journeys in life
Of our happy times and our times of inner strife
But only the stories of the wealthy and famous in book form are told
Things have not changed much in that respect since the days of old.

The Pride Of The Allow

I have not seen her since nineteen sixty three
But memories of her great beauty today are with me
Her shoulder length dark hair and lovely eyes of brown
The most beautiful woman in old Kanturk Town

Then in her early twenties near her physical prime
Of her mental pictures i retain despite the passing of time
But i was quite young then a lad of sixteen
And to the ways of love and of life rather green

The sun it was shining on a lovely Spring day
And the hawthorns were cloaked in their white blooms of the May
She smiled and said hello to me on passing my way
A beautiful memory that with me does stay

A beautiful young woman from the Town of the River Allow
One can say of her she had the inner glow
Though her i was never for to see again
Memories of her beauty with me does remain

Though time as we know becomes everyone's foe
This beautiful memory is with me from decades ago
The wind tossing her dark hair in fancy i see
The Pride of the Allow smiling at me.

No Shortage Of Things

No shortage of things for to write rhymes about
The cool winds of late Autumn are blowing from the south
The rain from the gray sky is drizzling down
On the now green paddocks that five weeks ago were brown
The long dry spell is over at least for awhile
And farmer Joe is happy he has reason to smile
Up to a fortnight ago he was feeding his cattle hay
Now on nutritious young grass they are gaining weight by the day
It is a fact that rain is as important as sunshine and fact never lie
Without it grass and crops would not grow and people and other creatures of thirst and hunger would die
The last few years due to lack of rain the farmers financially or in other ways not doing well
Of loss of livestock and revenue they have sad stories to tell
And for a rhymer no shortage of things for to write rhymes about
With the rain drizzling down and the wind from the south.

The One

The one that so many great dreams has destroyed
Is the one who is feared by people Worldwide
The one who visit the aged the very young and those in their lives prime
Is one who can visit you unannounced at any time
The one feared by the humble and feared by the great
So much tears of grief in the World does create
And the praises you never hear anyone sing
Of the one who claims the lives of the president and king
And some even cringe at the mention of the name
Of the one who treats as equal anonymity and fame
Yet the one who treats everyone as equal not loved by anyone
And who renders as lifeless the champions that great victories have won
Will be in the World till the end of time
For to claim the lives of the young and the old and those in their physical prime.

Move On In Your Life

Though the bad memories of a wrong done to us until death bound to last
Why burden your mind with grudges the past is the past
Harboring a grudge leads to hatred and causes thought decay
Move on in your life and do live in the day
Leave the one who has wronged you to Karma and in your life move on
Tomorrow will dawn and yesterday has gone
Revenge never does solve anything two wrongs never make a right
Those who live in the darkness never see the light
On revenging your mind on one who has wronged you is not good for you
If you are harboring a grudge to your higher self you cannot be true
Harboring a grudge does lead to hatred and can lead to serious crime
And pay back can have you in Jail for years of time
And live in the now and try to enjoy your gift of life
For you will not hear laughter where hatred is rife.

A Wet Day In Tower Hill

On the valley of Tower Hill three kilometers from Koroit Town
The rain from the gray sky is drizzling down
With the first of the calendar Winter less than two weeks away
The weather quite wet and windy for late Autumn and May
The spiritual home of Gundigitmarra Tower Hill's first race
To their descendants it remains a sacred place
Where their ancestors hunted and had their corroborees
On warm Summer evenings in the shade of the trees
In Tower Hill everything has not changed which is a good thing
In the drizzling rain the magpies do sing
Centuries ago the Moyne Shire's first people often did hear
The warbling songs of the birds who do sing every day of the year
On a wet and windy evening for late Autumn and May
Even for the time of year quite an unpleasant day.

My Country

When indigenous people Australia's first race
Talk of my country they are talking of place
Their district of Australia where they do feel belong
Their love for their home-place remains ever strong

With their way of thinking i can empathize
For as a migrant person i have come to realize
That my country to me is not anywhere near
At least not in sky kilometers seems obviously clear

My country it is where the rivers do meet
A half an hour walk west of the Town of Millstreet
A place that i left many Seasons ago
And time that rusts iron has since become my foe

Where old Clara mountain does ever look down
On the evergreen countryside by Millstreet Town
Though to many there nowadays mine might be a stranger's face
I too like most migrants retain a sense of place

Where i first grew to love Nature when i was a boy
And learning of her ways today i enjoy
And of Nature and life we do learn every day
We learn as we live as the wise one does say

In my country far north of here thousands of kilometers by sky
Today above Clara mountain the skylark does fly
A musical speck in the gray clouds he carols his song
The sense of place in me as is ever is strong.

You May Have Been

You may have been found to be wanting when put to the test
But what does matter most is that you gave it your best
And though your best not quite good enough at least you tried
Though losing has left quite a dent in your pride
Though success is a thing the majority in life does pursue
That everyone cannot be a winner only happens for to be true
For every big winner there are many losers life is designed this way
This has always been how it is and how it will stay
But you can lose with honor and be gracious in defeat
And say by the better one you have been beat
That those who persist eventually succeed once down is never out
To be part of the contest is what life is about
You must learn to lose well before you can graciously win
And the will to keep trying does come from within.

You May Never

You may never compete with anyone for Worldly renown
And not be racist to anyone black, white or brown
And be one of the nicest of people in your side of the town
But always a few there in words for to put you down
I feel sure like most others that you are aware
That the judgmental are not and will never be rare
Some for to criticize others are far too inclined
Those who lack in compassion can never be kind
People who believe on a fair go for some but not on a fair go for all
In their thinking and words they do seem so small
In a flowering garden only weeds they do see
Suppose it does take all kinds and this is how it always will be
But having said this i do meet many nice people every day
Who to help others do gladly go out of their way.

Though Financially Poor

Though financially poor wealthy in another way
The man who does laugh at himself every day
In the morning he whistles to work as he walks down the street
With a friendly hello to everyone he does meet
He does not take himself or life seriously just a happy bloke
Always willing to tell or to laugh at a good joke
A joy for to meet of him one can say
He whistles to work in the dawn cool and gray
With a four year old daughter and a devoted wife
He feels that he has been quite lucky in his life
Though he works rather hard for what is not good pay
I feel happy for to have a job he does say
I have yet for to meet him feeling sad and down
He must be the happiest man in the town.

Denny Murray Was Our Hero

The man who owned the stud stallions Rambling Boy and Rising Light
And who was widely known as the man to kill the blight
In fancy i do see Denny Murray today
On horse drawn sprayer spraying the potato gardens from here far away

Though of love he did have a few flings in his life
Denny Murray he did not have children or wife
From his late teens to his mid fifties he lived on the wild side
And beyond Ballydaly became known far and wide

As well as a character quite a likeable and generous bloke
And many a Guinness he drank and many a cigarette did smoke
No better than he was to tell a good joke
And prolonged bouts of laughter he often did provoke

Often in the dark of the night when the pubs had closed down
On his horse drawn cart he sang his way home to Ballydaly Lower from Millstreet Town
Until death in all who knew him good memories of him will remain
There will not be one quite like him in Ballydaly again

In his fifties he went to live in Newmarket and it is said he gave the drinking of alcohol away
And though i know he is long deceased i am not sure where his last remains lay
He drank hard and smoked hard and worked hard when in his life's prime
Till eventually he too became a victim of time

He told jokes and stories and old songs he sung
Denny Murray was our hero in days when we were young
The money he worked so hard for he freely did spend
And to many in financial trouble he was a good friend.

Such A Marvelous Thing

He has climbed Mt Everest and fought the bulls of Spain
And dragged an injured woman to safety from the tracks as a speeding train
Was bearing down on him her life to him she owe
He is the hero of the town and always will be so
He has been World Champion and won Olympic Gold
A legend for the masses his story often told
He has proved himself in every way and scaled the heights of fame
A champion of the millions they glorify his name
In his Country a National Icon he is known Worldwide
And to the people of his hometown he is a sense of pride
The wild-born birds are singing in the balmy morning air
As he daydreams in his garden sitting on his wheelchair
When he is visualizing he is greater than a king
The gift of imagination it is such a marvelous thing.

Would You Not Agree

We all have our personal battles in life
And our moments of self doubt and inner strife
The happiest person that you met today
Not always so happy life is not this way
Laugh and the World laughs with you does seem true enough
But it is hard for to laugh if you are doing it tough
If you are out of work on the poor side of the town
With a wife and four young children to support and you financially down
It is said by some that what we receive from life is our due
But others will tell you that this is not true
Only know that for one to win big many have to lose
Though losing is a thing anyone does not choose
You only can be in life the best you can be
With such an assumption would you not agree.

On the Derrinagree Post Office Closure

Time brings with it changes is how it seems to be
The Post Office run for sixty four years by Christina O Connell has closed in Derrinagree
Another chapter in Duhallow's history has come to a close
That time is the instigator of change one would have to suppose

On the Bernard Crowley interviewing of Donie Lucey on the Post Office closure on Millstreet L T V
They talked of another chapter closure in Duhallow's history
In the twenty first century of places that have escaped change not any i could name
That the changes keep on happening has always been the same

Yes the changes keep on happening and one might say quite fast
And only the memories remain of the past
Another chapter has closed on Derrinagree's history's page
But then we are in the prime of the technological age

The Post Office Christina O Connell has worked in since her physical prime
She has turned the key on the lock for the very last time
To sixty four years of service to the Derrinagree community she did remain true
She was loyal to her calling in life for to give her what is only her due

The Derrinagree Post Office is now history
One more small business in Duhallow confined to memory
And Donie Lucey has his memories of the what used to be
Of when he was younger in old Derrinagree.

A Cat Speaks

Some humans may blame my kind for small birds and small animals extinction
But of the demise of the thylacine the passenger pigeon and great auk we cannot claim the distinction
And the dodo of Mauritius was clubbed to death by sailors many decades ago
Than us felines humans to wildlife a far greater foe

To our credit we keep down the population of mice and of rats
And humans kill far more endangered species of wildlife than cats
Though at us some humans like to point the finger of blame
The destruction of natural habitat is not to our shame

As the spokes cat for cats in truth i can say
That humans kill far more creatures every day
Yes humans far more animals and birds and fish do kill
Than cats do and as long as there are creatures left to kill they always will

That us cats can be ruthless happens to be true
But many humans are even more ruthless this is to give them their due
But we share one thing in common it does seem to me
Many humans kill for enjoyment and pleasure and so too do we.

I Feel Lucky

Why should i yearn to visit beautiful places from here far away
When wherever i turn to look every day
Nature at her finest is all around me
Such beauty that i do feel privileged for to see
Though here mine to many is a stranger's face
I feel so lucky to be living in such a beautiful place
A magpie is warbling on a black wattle tree
And i hear the familiar call of the pee wee
The countryside around looking so green after recent rain
And water again flowing in the long time dry drain
A nice sunny high eighteen degrees for the day
Quite beautiful weather for late Autumn and May
Though to many here mine may be a stranger's face
I feel lucky to be living in such a beautiful place.

Mrs X

Mrs X used to say a decade ago
The future is looking bright for my son Joe
Mark my words he will grow into a famous man
Though most things in life never do go to plan

When people do ask her about Joe today
Her answer is from home he is living away
This is all of her dear boy she wishes to say
As her favorite topic of conversation her Joe did not stay

The praises of her son she no longer does sing
Amazing the changes that a decade can bring
He was her favorite topic of conversation not that long ago
But nowadays she would rather not talk about Joe

For forty five years old Mrs X in her life love gone stale
Her husband George less fond of her than he is of his pot of ale
Whilst he is in the pub she sits at home watching t v
This is not how she planned how life for her should be

Her favorite topic of conversation not that long ago
Mrs X does not talk now of her son Joe
Since he became addicted to narcotics and turned to crime
And for armed robbery is now serving jail time.

It Is Part Of life

It is part of life to eventually die
But the thought of death scares me of this i will not lie
Doubtless fear of death comes from fear of the unknown
On my thinking on this i am not on my own
Of a post bodily death life for the soul i feel reason to doubt
Just one of the reasons that fear of death can be about
Any deceased person i have known have not come back to tell
Me of an afterlife of a heaven or a hell
The biological clock ever ticking away
And for all of us there is a last night and day
But the question is when the life from the body has gone
Does the soul of the mind in some form live on?
The answer to this in truth remains unclear
A reason enough death for me for to fear.

Good News Out Of Millstreet

Good news out of Millstreet Sean Radley health-wise now okay
He has recovered from his setback on Patrick's Day
At such very good tidings many will rejoice
To get well soon wishes to Sean i too do lend my voice

The Sean Radleys of the World are to humanity's gain
And that every community needs a few like him as a fact does remain
To help other people he goes out of his way
And the seeds of good Karma he sows every day

In him his late father and mother did raise a good son
You never hear Sean Radley criticize anyone
A genial sort of a fellow and free of conceit
And known and liked far beyond the borders of the Town of Millstreet

Never known to be an athlete or good at hurling or Gaelic football
But in a sports mad Town one liked and admired by all
His numbers of friends only do seem to grow
One can say of Sean he has the inner glow

As nice a person as one could wish to meet
No other quite like him in the Town of Millstreet
Sean Radley the man every day who does make a new friend
It is so good to learn his health is on the mend.

Who Knows

Who knows when i will reach my last night and day
Though having this said in truth i can say
For as long as i live with rhyming words i will continue for to play
Since i feel no desire to give rhyming away
I have been penning stuff since my physical prime
For some forty two years this is going back in time
My best days in life in the forever gone
But true to my calling i keep on rhyming on
Amongst rhymers i am not one to the fore
It is something i love doing little else more
Writing for many just a hobby one has to suppose
Some write plays some write poetry and many write prose
And i am one of those who enjoy penning rhyme
Though many may see this as a waste of time.

Memories Of Jedder

The last dog i had Jedder was her name
And life for awhile for me without her not quite the same
My friend and companion for close to thirteen years
The day that she died i was reduced to tears

A black and white blue heeler x border collie cross
I never considered myself as her boss
For how can one be a boss to a faithful friend
She was very loyal to me till her life's end

Frail and ill of old age by vet i had to have her put down
That day i must have been the saddest person in Wonthaggi Town
And only an old photograph now with me remain
As a memory of an old friend i will not see again

Of Jedder i have good memories for to recall
Her needs in life to say the least were small
Two meals a day a half an hour of fetching stick or ball
She was not that hard for to please at all

It is a fact your dog is your true friend and fact does not lie
A friend who will love you till the day he or she does die
And as my true friend Jedder till her end did stay
Though it has been awhile since she lived her last day.

A Down To Earth Person

As we know the pretentious are quite subject to self conceit
But the down to earth people are always a pleasure to meet
Other than who they are they never pretend to be
Of snobbery and self importance they are quite free
There are so many people in the Human World of today
Who are into self promotion in quite a big way
The digital selfie with many now seems the in thing
So many their own praises too willing to sing
Of a certain amount of self love we all are in need
But too much of it to narcissism can sow the seed
An overinflated ego a huge weight on the mind
One can even feel a bit sorry for the egotistical kind
A down to earth person a pleasure to meet
For success with others they never compete.

In Illowa Today

The sky above the coastal Lands looking gloomy and gray
And the sun behind rain clouds from view hiding away
The weather changes quickly in late Fall in May
It is cool and windy in Illowa today
A magpie is warbling on a blackwood tree
And magpie larks in the paddocks are calling pee wee
The feathered minstrels of Nature one often does hear
Some birds call and sing every day of the year
Nature at her finest is to be seen
After recent rain the countryside is looking quite green
Wherever i turn to look beauty i see
The beauty of Nature is quite amazing to me
But the sun from view behind gray clouds is hiding away
It is cool and windy in Illowa today.

Karma Will One Day

Violence begets violence why otherwise pretend
And many who do partake in it meet with a bad end
What we sow in life can become our due
I only say here what happens to be true
We hear and read of the murder of civilians for god and for borders and cultures in war torn Countries far away
Those who commit such heinous crimes to Karma their price bound to pay
The deliberate killing of civilians in war zones may be for to prove some point or to settle some score
Are crimes against humanity and mass murders and little else more
Human law may never catch up with these horrible people that defenseless people do kill
But sooner if not later eventually Karma surely will
On the Universal Karma i am one who happens to believe
The fruits of the karmic seeds we do sow in the future we receive
And those who commit war atrocities for their crimes will eventually pay
If the law does not catch up with them Karma will one day.

On Joe Hockey's 2015 Budget

Joe Hockey the Government Treasurer tries to convince every Australian his 2015 budget is fair
But many seem to realize that big Joe talks a lot of hot air
Much of his 2014 federal budget in Parliament failed to pass
As it was perceived to be biased against Australia's underclass
Joe a conservative member of a conservative government for those doing it tough without sympathy
For the poorest of the poor devoid of any compassion and empathy
Joe is just another big arrogant conservative male with an over-sized mouth
With a booming voice loud enough in parliament to drown all opposition voices out
Any of Joe Hockey's budget never of any benefit to those in poverty
Joe may talk of fairness but in his mind he does not believe on equality
In Australia like many Countries the gap between the rich and the poor is growing wide
And due to pro wealthy governments the poor of any opportunities for self betterment are being denied
When Joe Hockey talks of fairness his words open to doubt
Not surprising that many do ask what is he on about.

The Homeless And Hungry

Their circumstance of birth is their greatest foe
The children who will never know of a fair go
The journey from poverty street for many ends in jail time
Since poverty, homelessness and hunger are life paths to crime
Their parents and grand parents no strangers to jail
On their side of the town many are born to fail
To succeed in life they have to beat the odds
The poor homeless children of the lesser gods
By the suburb they live in branded with a bad name
Though for their bad circumstances they should not be to blame
In survival alone a huge challenge they do meet
The poor homeless children of poverty street
Survival for them is a battle to fight
The homeless and hungry who sleep rough tonight.

Stawell

For it's World known footrace it has won renown
But it is it's people make Stawell such a welcoming Town
As hospitable a people as i have ever known
They greet every stranger in Stawell as one of their own
Suppose Stawell of grumpy people would not be free
But more happy people living there than in most places it does seem to me
Everybody i met there smiled and bid me good day
To Stawell it's people are a credit in truth i can say
Every year at Easter the Stawell Gift is run
A ten seconds dash for glory at the sound of the starters gun
On the sidewalks of Stawell every past Gift winner his name embedded on a steel plate
Every gift winner in the Grampian Town his own history create
But it is it's people that make Stawell such a beautiful place
Where they greet every stranger as a local face.

A Fellow From Millstreet

The bug of the wander it had bitten me
Beyond Clara Mountain there were places for to see
The Boggeragh hills in their white hats of snow
And Finnow in brown flood waters bank high in the old fields did flow

The cattle in the farm sheds were bellowing for silage or hay
On that bleak and that wintery December day
A cold wind driven rain it was drizzling down
As i boarded the Rosslare bus in Millstreet Town

To the boat that take migrants from Hibernia's shore
On a journey that many had been on before
The lure of the wander lures many away
From the place where they first looked on the lamp of day

Though sometimes i feel nostalgic for the long gone years
For what used to be i have shed my last tears
All we have are our memories of Seasons long gone
But the now is all that does matter and life does go on

I do sort of envy those at home happy to stay
Who never yearn to travel to Lands far away
But how boring we would be for want of a better name
If in our thinking and interests we all were the same

The past may be gone but the memories of it remain
And in fancy i often visit Duhallow again
When the old fields are in their wildflowers of the May
And the hawthorns are cloaked in their blooms of white to gray

Far south of where mine used to be a known face
I am just a fellow from another place
But despite my years of absence from there it does seem to me
That a fellow from Millstreet is all i can be.

This Applies To All

Due to habitat destruction and Climate change wild birds and wild animals becoming rare
And in a time when we are badly in need of the environmentally aware
The friends of our Earth Mother in numbers too few
On this i am not saying anything that is new
More wild species becoming endangered of extinction every day
And extinction is forever and it does seem sad to say
That the children of the future may not hear and see
Birds and animals that are familiar to you and to me
To build more houses and factories in city and town
More land being developed and more trees being cut down
So much destruction of natural habitat for every new millionaire
In this World that is only ours with other life forms for to share
What we do to our Earth Mother to our own selves we do
This applies to all and all includes me and you.

I Am Lucky

I am lucky in where i do live i must say
In the beautiful scenery i see every day
The birds who do sing every day of the year
The magpies i often do see and do hear
I feel lucky to be living in Illowa of this i won't lie
Though i may not be living here till the day i do die
From here my journey in life may take me to elsewhere
There is so much to see in the big World out there
As i am a fellow from a distant place
To many here mine it is not a known face
But Illowa people are nice in their way
And they always bid me a passing good day
Between Koroit and Warrnambool in the green coastal countryside
There is beautiful scenery to see far and wide.

Life Does Go On

In the school-yard in the lunch break childhood games we did play
Though this is going back in time many a day
We were young and innocent but as young and innocent did not stay
And that we grew up too quickly now seems sad to say

Only memories remain of the what used to be
But a bigger World out there was for to see
The longest lived life in time not a long span
And the boy all too quickly grows into a man

No two life journeys exactly the same would you not agree
At least anyhow this is how it seems to me
And though i think of them when the past i do visit again
Of my friends for awhile only memories remain

Though all children do have their own dreams to pursue
It is said we receive from life what is our due
But the fact does remain and fact does not lie
Whatever we achieve in life we must die

Like me they are now in their lives twilight years
And for the past they too would have shed their last nostalgic tears
But life does go on in the school-yard lunch break today
The laughter of children as their childhood games they do play.

In Human Successes

In human successes in medicine, science and technology a reason for some pride
But in the name of progress the natural environment is being destroyed
What we do to our Earth Mother to our own selves we do
I may have caused environmental damage but then so too have you
The Earth that feeds us we do not own since to the Earth we do belong
And anyone who tells you differently has surely got it wrong
And whether we are cremated or buried for to decay
To Mother Earth who feeds us we will return one day
Jobs at the expense of the Natural Environment for the long term is not wise
When we abuse the Earth that feeds us too few seem to realize
That for the mistakes we do make future generations will have to pay
Us humans are our own worst enemies and this does seem sad to say
That we continue burning fossil fuels to say the least seems strange
One of the main causes of Global Warming in this time of Climate Change.

Happens To Be True

When others to your face only nice things do say
With their praises you ought not get carried away
Since few to your face ever say what they think of you
Their words to their thinking are not always true
The most humble of people are also discreet
The praises of others in them never leads to self conceit
The egos of the egotistical not hard to inflate
Some narcissistic personalities success have been known to create
Only an arrogant and ignorant person who does not know his or her place
Makes a habit out of telling people of what she or he thinks of them to their face
Such people are known to find pleasure in their words on causing offense
And are lacking in compassion and empathy and common sense
Few will ever tell you to your face what they really think of you
That discretion is often the better sign of valor happens to be true.

Some Of Those

Some of those i went to school with in Millstreet did stay
And some from there living in Lands far away
And some of them amongst the deceased do lay
All human life is terminal as the wise one does say
No two journeys in life exactly the same
We all have different life ambitions for want of a better name
The Millstreet i grew up in has changed from the past
But then few things in life as the same ever last
Most of the mentors of my younger years are now amongst the dead
And of my generation only old age ahead
And only the memories of what was remain
And what used to be cannot be again
I have shed the last of my nostalgic tears
And most of those i went to school with i have not seen for years.

Old Dave

Old Dave who on his last birthday turned eighty three
Says he is not the man that he once used to be
Sixty years ago he kicked the winning goal on Grand Final Day
But people grow older and time ticks away
In his prime the best and fairest footballer in the football club
But nowadays when he is in the local pub
He goes almost unnoticed though to many he is known
The fame he once knew by time has been outgrown
The town's finest footballer a half a century ago
But time that rusts iron has become his foe
And though he retains the good memories of his glorious past
The fame that he once knew with him did not last
But he often visualizes the massive hooray
For him when he kicked the winning goal on Grand Final Day.

There Will Always Be Rhymers

It is true that a rhymer never runs out of rhyme
Even in their twilight years decades beyond their physical prime
They keep writing rhymes till their last night and day
A true rhymer never does give rhyming away
Never short of subject material for to write rhymes about
And though their worth as writers literary experts may doubt
But despite what their critics of them have to say
With the skill of rhyme making they do have a way
They are wordsmiths of rhyme for to give them their due
All rhymers to their craft remain ever true
That time brings with it changes happens to be so
Rhymers were the poets of five decades ago
And though the glory days of rhyme in the forever gone
There will always be rhymers and rhyme will live on.

Fr Jerry O Mahony

Father Jerry O Mahony was quite a good man
And a good son to his parents Catherine and Dan
He died in England in distance far away
From Millstreet Town where he first saw light of day

In Millstreet Town in view of Clara in Seasons long gone
I did know his brothers Donie and Con
But since the mid eighties many changes in Millstreet since then
And the children of those times now middle aged women and men

In her comment on the passing of Fr O Mahony on the Millstreet Web Site Sheila Roche did recall
A compassionate and kind person quite generous and in him nothing small
One who gave generously and in return did not expect to receive
That his passing is humanity's loss one has to believe

Of years of life he did live quite a long span
And by all accounts he was a very good and holy man
To many he did prove himself a good friend
And sad to hear his life's journey has come to an end

Eventually with the Reaper of lives we all have a date
But it is good people like Fr O Mahony who make humanity great
Sheila Roche on her comment on him said it all
He was a great person in him nothing small.

The Person You Really Are

A Nobel Prize or an Olympic Gold Medal you may never win
But you can make the Human World better for to live in
By helping anyone if you can do of your help in need
On so doing of a better World for to live in you are planting the seed
If there is room for improvement in the best of people there is room for improvement in all
And any good deed performed by you is never too small
You may live in the biggest house in the town and own the most expensive car
But this does not tell us anything of the person you are
Your material possessions tell us little of you
Just a well known fact and fact is always true
Wherever good people are hope you will find
Hope for the betterment of humanity due to people who are compassionate and kind
Your expensive home and your big new car
Does not tell us much of the person you really are.

Memories Of Mick Connie O

An old time story teller from decades ago
He was quite a character Mick Connie O
One who had lived through two World wars and had fought the black and tan
And in his younger years quite a well traveled man

As he spun a good yarn or told a good joke
He puffed on his pipe and blew out some smoke
Coolikerane's greatest story teller when i was a boy
Good memories of him remain as a source of joy

Beyond Coolikerane he had experienced life elsewhere
As a younger man in the big World out there
On Winter nights listening to him by the peat fire
Telling jokes and stories we never did tire

Even into old age memories of his younger years he did retain
And in his stories he often visited the past again
Some of the many memories of his life with us he did share
Great story tellers like he was nowadays are quite rare

For his many jokes and stories he became well known
Old Mick Connie O had a charm of his own
The best teller of jokes and stories his side of Millstreet Town
Seems a pity his memories in notebook were never written down.

Addictive Writers

Like a hungry person with a voracious appetite
Have you ever felt the constant compulsion to write
Not for money or any sort of recognition or fame
Without any of these in mind you feel compelled for to write just the same
Some are addicted to writing or so it does seem
Though writing does little for their public or self esteem
Am i telling you anything that is new
When i say that addictive writers are not even in the few
They never aspire to great wealth and renown
But their sort are to be found in every village and city and town
Yet even amongst local writers they are not and will never be to the fore
They write for the love of it little else more
If you write out of compulsion it does seem to me
An addictive writer you well may be.

May In Annagloor

With such wonderful memories how could anyone feel poor
Of the nesting songbirds singing in the groves of Annagloor
And the hawthorns looking resplendent in their white blossoms of the May
And the old fields in their wildflowers green and beautiful today
And the dark brown bird of the waterways of breast as white as snow
The dipper he is singing where the babbling Cails does flow
Where i first grew to love Nature years ago as a young boy
And today learning of her ways is a thing i do enjoy
I may have left the old fields but the love of home is strong
And on my flights of fancy the meadow pipit is on song
And the familiar song of the robin always a joy for to hear
May in Annagloor as i remember is a lovely time of year
With such wonderful memories how could anyone feel poor
Of when the flowers of May are blooming in the fields of Annagloor.

You May Be

You may be overlooked as an unimportant person an ordinary one on an ordinary street
Just one amongst millions of ordinary others referred to as numbers on a government statistic sheet
But i only can repeat here what has often been said and what also happens to be very true
That your most important person in the World is the one that others refer to as you
In your own mind you may feel quite inferior since your praises anyone never does sing
We are in the age of celebrity idolizing and celebrity worshiping is the in thing
Even in your own neighborhood you may seem ordinary by people you know and meet every day
But your number one person ought to be yourself this is how it is and should be this way
Yes your life to you is most important this anyway is how it ought to be
If you do not like yourself you cannot like others this is how it seems to me
You must like yourself better to be kind to others this is how life is it works in this way
And if others ignore you as one of the ordinary this is their business and this is okay
I can only say to you what has often been said by others words of advice that happen to be true
That your most important person in the World is the one others refer to as you.

Here In The Place

Here in the place of wallaby, echidna and gray kangaroo
And emu and long billed corella and yellow tailed black cockatoo
I may not have much money but i am lucky in a way
In the beautiful wildlife i see every day
I wake every morning to the magpie's warbling song
Unlike me to this place he does belong
In this place he first looked on the lamp of day
And here till the day he will die he will stay
And i am a stranger in this beautiful place
Where to most people here mine is a stranger's face
When i awake at dawn the flute of the magpie i do hear
Earthly Utopia it surely does have to be near
To Illowa between Koroit and Warrnambool
Far south of where i was born and attended school.

Late Spring Far Away

Late Spring far away by the road to Macroom
The hawthorns cloaked in their white blossoms in bloom
And in the leafy groves the nesting songbirds whistle and sing
On a beautiful day in the Duhallow and Muskerry Spring

Out of wintering sheds on months of eating silage and hay
The contented cattle on nutritious young grass gaining weight by the day
And the voice of the cuckoo so pleasant to hear
On what is a beautiful time of the year

The dark barn swallows chirp as in pursuit of flying insects they do fly
Above the old fields their young will be flying with them in July
In October they will fly far south where the weather is warm and fine
To pursue flying insects who to live need sunshine

In May far away the old fields wear their flowers
And the countryside lush and green after recent Spring showers
And the trout quite relaxed in the pools of the stream
Bask in the sunshine their spotted skins agleam.

We Never Stop Learning

We never stop learning as some like to say
And of Nature i learn something new every day
And the more i learn of Nature the more my wonder of her does grow
Yet so little of her ways i can claim for to know
There is more intelligence than we realize in a bird's tiny brain
The migratory cattle egrets are back in the Moyne Shire again
Close to the grazing cattle they do like to stay
To devour any tiny critters disturbed by the big hooves to crawl, hop or fly their way
The egrets are allies of the farmers of them one can say
In helping to rid the paddocks of harmful insects their part they do play
To stand close to grazing animals a way of finding food over the decades the egrets have come to realize
That birds and animals like us too learn from Nature is not a surprise
Yes of Nature we learn something new every day
We never stop learning it does seem this way.

Old Dino

Old Dino one of the happiest people in the town
He is always smiling yet to see him feeling down
An octogenarian he is eighty three
He first saw light of day in Rome in Italy
Dino does not have children or he never had a wife
But he is one who is happy in his life
He speaks good English but the Italian accent with him does remain
And he always seems happy one who never complain
About him he has such a likeable way
Old Dino does make a new friend every day
It can be said of him he has the inner glow
Old Dino he is one who is nice to know
Though born and raised in far away Rome
Footscray in Victoria to Dino is home.

Charlotte Elizabeth Diane

A baby girl born to privilege and wealth and fame
Charlotte Elizabeth Diane is her name
Born to be a princess by birth circumstance
And the gift of life it is only by chance

No different to anyone at least in one way
As she is a mortal she will die one day
All of this fuss about the birth of a baby seems over the top to me
In a World where millions of children live in dire poverty

In a World where millions of children are homeless tonight
All of this fuss about the birth of one baby does hardly seem right
On one born into privilege what is to celebrate
As long as there are impressionable people in the World rank and class distinction will never be out of date

For all of this excitement about the birth of one baby the World media must share some blame
Their lack of interest on the plight of poor people does seem quite a shame
Newspaper stories on homeless street children never do sell
Their circumstance of birth is to live till they do die a life of Earthly Hell

Congratulations and well done to the baby princess's parents William and Kate
For their eldest child George a sister a reason to celebrate
But all of this fuss about the birth of one baby to me does not seem right
When millions of poor children are homeless and hungry tonight.

Not For Me To Say

In some village, town or city your life's journey began
Where you grew to a woman or grew to a man
Though some where they spent their young years in did stay
Others from their first home-place are aging far away
The journey in life it does end for all
Life forms of every sort from the great to the small
And this includes humans would you not agree
Like all other life forms we are born to mortality
The longest lived human life not a long span of time
Only a decade of years in our physical prime
On looking back the Seasons the years seemed to fly
That time does go quickly none ought to deny
Like all other life forms for you and for me there's a last night and day
And what happens after that is not for me to say.

On Lake Cartcarrong

On Lake Cartcarrong at Winslow water birds in numbers abound
In the Moyne Shire of south west Victoria bird watchers come to there from many kilometers around
To watch water birds there in their hundreds in the quiet of the Winslow's countryside
Bordered by reeds and lots of cover for birds from predators to hide
Plenty birds to see there on all Seasons Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall
Most water birds are known to many by their coloring and their call
A place of many water bird species black swan, coot and dusky moorhen
Chestnut and grey teal, mountain duck and little grebes in flocks of nine or ten
Pied stilt, white eyed duck and pelican and ibis sacred and straw necked by the score
Probing the soft earth for slugs and worms bordering Lake Cartcarrong shore
Wading birds spoonbill and great egret in the shallows often seen
Lake Cartcarrong for it's water wildlife compares to the best bird watching places to i have been
A gem in the crown of the old Moyne Shire to bird watchers quite well known
Quite a pleasant place to visit with a charm of it's own.

No Two Journeys In Life

One to wealth and fortune and adulation and fame
And one to poverty and obscurity no two life's journey the same
A journey one day that for everyone does end
Human life is not forever why otherwise pretend
On average the longest lived human life is not a long span
A few years more for a woman than it is for a man
We fade to decay like the flowers of the Fall
Like the wealthy and poor the same for us all
I am one who fears death though i know i must die
But it is the thought of it i do fear otherwise why lie
My best years behind me old age is ahead
The life journey end at the place of the dead
One leads to poverty and one leads to riches and fame
No two journeys in life are exactly the same.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

A beautiful and intelligent woman who is known Worldwide
Ayaan Hirsi Ali Mogadishu's pride
So tall and so graceful with a charm of her own
Her life story amazing and her legend has grown
An elegant dark beauty on fairness she does believe
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is not one to deceive
Her life has been threatened by people whose views are extreme
Quite dangerous religious fanatics with a warped sense of self esteem
Ayaan Hirsi Ali knows what she is on about
And despite death threats against her on religious intolerance she speaks out
A former member of the Netherlands Parliament she now lives in the U S of A
From her birthplace in Mogadishu in Somalia in kilometers far away
A tall and beautiful and intelligent woman in her life's forty fifth year
Ayaan refuses for to be intimidated by the mongers of fear.

I Care Not

I care not what others of me have to say
As long as they do not lie about me in any way
They do not pay my bills for me or buy me food and wine
And their opinions on me is their business and their business cannot be mine
In me room for improvement on that i am not alone
Let the one without sin go and cast the first stone
But on saying those without sin in the World are few
I am not telling you anything that is new
Big Brothers disciples to be found everywhere
There are millions of them in the big World out there
In every village and city and town
Those who look up to some and on others look down
What others say of me is okay with me as long as they say what is true
Since they are judgmental people for to give their due.

The Best I Can Be

I am just an aging bloke who with rhyme words likes to play
But for my rhyming efforts i do not receive any pay
Some tell me at rhyming i should call it a day
But what i enjoy doing why should i give away
The rhyming bug it is embedded in me
I have been penning stuff since nineteen seventy three
In years this is going back decades ago
And this thing known as time it has become my foe
I have never pretended for to be a poet
Nor am i one worthy of literary note
Though no shortage of things for to write rhymes about
My worth as a rhymer i always do doubt
Of my rhyming addiction i will never be free
And a rhymer at best is the best i can be.

Tommy Tucker

No Gaelic Football team in Ballydaly today
Though memories of what was slow to fade away
They did have a good team in Seasons long gone
But i bet the hope for a team in Ballydaly in Tommy Tucker lives on

The mentor and coach of many a Ballydaly Gaelic Football team
The likeable Tommy is a man who does dare for to dream
That Ballydaly in the Duhallow Championship will again line out to play
Hope does spring eternal as the wise one does say

In rural Ireland in the twenty first century changes are happening fast
But then few things in life ever does seem to last
Ballydaly may never have a Gaelic Football team again
But the hope that they will in Tommy Tucker does remain

Beyond Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra's borders Tommy Tucker is well known
But in Ballydaly they are proud to claim him as their own
With great people skills and free of conceit
One of the most genial of characters in the Parish of Millstreet

A positive fellow for to give him his due
To the cause of Ballydaly he remains ever true
To the dream that Ballydaly will again have a Gaelic Football team Tommy Tucker does cling
It is true about hope it is a wonderful thing.

I Did Not Return

In the quiet of a Spring evening in a field by the River Finnow
In fancy i can hear the soft lowing of a cow
When the nesting birds sing in the greenness of May
In the place where i was raised in from here far away

The birds are on song as the sun is going down
In that beautiful countryside by Millstreet Town
Where i grew to love Nature when i was a boy
And learning of her ways today i enjoy

When i left old Clara wore a hat of snow
And Finnow in the old fields bank high did flow
And the migratory redwings were chirping on the bare deciduous trees
On weather temperatures just below zero degrees

I hoped to be back like the swallows in Spring
When the birds in the leafy groves of Millstreet do sing
But i did not make it back to see the hawthorns in their blooms white as snow
In the rushy fields when the male pheasant crow

No i did not return when the fields wear their flowers
And are looking lush and green after the mild Spring showers
And the cattle on nutritious young grass gaining weight by the day
But one ought to live in the now as the wise one does say.

The Voices Of The Corncrakes

The Seasons pass quickly seems only like yesterday
That i heard the corncrakes in meadows far away
Their rasping calls could be heard in the Summer night
In the long grass of the meadows in the faint moonlight

An unmusical sound i loved when i was a boy
That to many rural people was a source of joy
Where i grew to a man nowadays one does not hear
Another victim of human progress it seems obviously clear

In the Summer Meadows of Duhallow the voices of the corncrakes died
When due to the earlier cutting of the grass their eggs were destroyed
The call of the corncrakes is now a thing of the past
And of what used to be only memories do last

In mid twentieth century heavy farm machinery the demise of the migratory corncrakes or land-rails were sown
And to generations of Duhallow children their calls were and are and will never be known
And only the memories with me now does remain
Of something i loved that i will not hear again

A voice from my boyhood that i only can visualize
Heard in the Summer meadows between twilight and sunrise
On my flights of fancy the corncrakes i do hear
In the far away meadows in the Summer of the year.

Loud Talkers

Some people of their voices do like the sound
And they are the loudest where noise does abound
For to meet loud talkers you need not walk far
A few of them always in your local bar
They increase the sound volume of the barroom din
And their voices get louder with a few beers in
On most every subject they will have their say
I do meet a few of their kind every day
As the center of attention they do wish to be
We are how we are is how it seems to me
In an age when self promotion seems for to be the in thing
Some in public their own praises do like to sing
And to meet loud talkers you need not walk far
A few of them drink in every local bar.

Camogie

Camogie hurling played by women it is such a beautiful game
As hurling played by males not as famous though it does deserve an equal fame
Suppose in sports women will never be seen as equal to men and this at least does seem a shame
It is a man's World as is often said and things as they are will stay the same
And women will not be seen as equal to men not in my lifetime anyway
Hurling like most sports is seen as a man's game as it always was it is today
But i enjoy watching camogie as a game in a class of it's own
Though camogie hurling played by women as male hurling not as well known
I love watching women play hurling they play it with finesse and skill
Though all sports played by males is more popular this is how it is and always will
Be for as long as there is male and female human kind
Supposed this is a fact of human life a fact of to which i am resigned
I prefer to watch women playing hurling than watching males play in this i am in minority
But males in all sports seen as superior to women and this is how it always will be.

The British Often Beat Us

By the British we were often defeated since than us they had more guns and men
But in Cork and Kerry the Irish had their victories in Kilmichael, Headford and Tureengarriffe Glen
That i often heard old men talk about when i was a boy
Though now i realize that every war victory comes at a cost and is not a thing of joy

The British often beat us though we always put up a good fight
But in war more guns and man power win in numbers there is might
And in war one battle to another lead which often is the case
A war for flag and Country and a war for pride of place

And so many wars for God being fought in the World of today
For the love and honor of of the one in the sky there is Earthly hell to pay
Songs and stories by aging men of war heroes i recall were often told and sung
Around the fire on Winter nights in the days when i was young

The British often beat us in war battles years ago
But our sworn enemies of the distant past are nowadays not the foe
And yet in song and story war memories are not allowed to fade
And out of death and suffering war heroes have been made.

You May Be Quite Popular

You may be quite popular but why otherwise pretend
Not everyone does wish for to become your friend
And though friends you may have your true friends are few
On this i am not saying anything that is new
It is said that a friend in need is a friend indeed
You will know who your friends are when of help you are in need
The millionaires friends in numbers may grow
But who their true friends are they may never know
Those who have many friends are not without a few foes
This is part of living life one has to suppose
Your true friends do remain as your true friends for life
And they will stand by you when you are in strife
Your friends for to help you they will travel far
And when you are in trouble you will know who they are.

The Town's Ex Wealthiest Person

The town's ex wealthiest person lay in eternal repose
But then such is life one would have to suppose
His widow in her late forties more than a decade past her life's prime
And their adult son and daughter on his fortune enjoying a good time
Three years ago at his funeral they were in tears
But their sense of loss lessened in a few years
His widow does have a new man in her life
And very soon she is to become his wife
Quite mean with his money when he was alive
For to be the World's wealthiest person he did strive
But in his early fifties cancer struck him down
Money did not save the former wealthiest person of the town
Money speaks every language it does seem this way
Though to the town's former wealthiest person it is of no use where he is today.

This Thing Known As Pride

It is a strange creature this thing known as pride
From birth until death to the ego it is tied
Proud of your children and proud of your wife
And so very proud of your successful life
Proud of your home and your new family car
And so very proud of the person you are
Proud of your Country and your Country's flag
All of this to you is worth a good brag
Proud of the fact yours is the one true god
Those who believe different to you must be odd
Proud of your job promotion of late
So much in your life for you to celebrate
And proud of the person you have turned out to be
Though all in all you seem egotistical to me.

No Such A Thing

No such a thing as an untalented person everybody is good at doing something
Though the praises of the wealthy and famous the impressionable may like to sing
But in the World are many talented people who are not famous and widely known
They are very good at what they do and with the best at it can hold their own
Some are good at sports and entertaining and millions in money have made
And some with their hands are quite gifted and very skilled at their own trade
No such a person as one who is a good for nothing words some use for to put one down
There are many quite talented people who are not the talk of the town
I know many talented people far too many here for to name
Not even well known in their neighborhood and strangers to local fame
They live as the town's unsung heroes but what they are good at they do well
Of not well known talented people there are millions of stories to tell
No such a thing as an untalented person i only do say what is true
Though millions who are very gifted never receive the credit they are due.

Success It Has Gone To Your Head

That you are a man amongst me happens to be true
The best sports person in the region this is to give you your due
And of greater sporting success you aspire to and pursue
But remember there is always one better than you
One bigger and faster and stronger though with success against the region's best you compete
You may not travel too far from your hometown your equal or better to meet
You do appear to be conceited but a humbling in a defeat of you may be ahead
Big egos too can be deflated like a pricked balloon it has been said
You may be the one of the moment the talk of the pubs of the town
Though you are not a National champion and yours is a local renown
You may be the best of the locals but with this do not get carried away
For you are far from being the best in the Nation and this does seem a fair thing to say
Your ego it is well inflated from the nice things of you that are said
And you feel so superior to others success it has gone to your head.

Why Tell Me About It

Why tell me about it when i already know
That money on bushes and trees does not grow
If this were the case how great it would be
There would not be anyone in financial poverty
Some may tell you that money is not everything
But the praises of it i feel i have to sing
Money is more attractive to a woman than a rose or a flower
Even an old man with plenty of it to a female has power
Most young women would prefer the wealthy sugar daddy instead
Of the poor and healthy young bloke though he is good in bed
Yes money does speak every language as the wise one does say
Even more so now in the twenty first century of today
And even a wealthy octogenarian woman can have her own toy boy
Since a good lifestyle with her he can enjoy.

They Carry Joy With Them

They carry joy with them when walking the street
Nice people are always a pleasure to meet
A smile and hello does not cost one a thing
And joy to one's day with it you well may bring
Self important and conceited people are not nice to know
One can say of them they lack the inner glow
The self assuming and down to earth one easier to prefer
Than the arrogant and egotistical snobbish him or her
Self promotion nowadays seems to be the in thing
And far too many only too willing their own praises for to sing
Nice people are down to earth in their own way
They always do greet you with a smile and good day
Wherever they are joy is to be found
They carry it with them and spread it around.