When The Last Breath Of Life

When the last breath of life has gone from me
And i am too deep and dark for eyes to see
Some who knew me of me may even say
He was one who had lived well beyond his prime day
And he was one who loved nature and loved life
And fair dues to him he never did beat his wife
And though not what one would call a successful man
Of human years he did have a long span
He never was a hero of the town
And he lived as he died as a stranger to renown
Of life he knew of good and of bad years
And he was one who did know of laughter and tears
In him there was far less of bad than good
For he was one who would help you if he could.

It Is Said About Writers

It is said about writers that they are born not made
Though some from the memory are quite quick to fade
And some to their disappointment never make the grade
Yet every writer is needed in the wordsmith trade
Few writers from writing know of wealth and fame
Though most have ambitions for to become a great name
Of the many writers the wealthy and famous are few
One might say to this do tell us what is new
To become a great writer you have to have talent with some luck on your side
And so very few writers become known Worldwide
In literature for most too hard a journey to literary renown
Only one can become the best writer in every town
Writing for to earn a living is a hard way indeed
Out of so many writers only few do succeed.

Young Zino

Young Zino is a cocky sort his ego quite inflated
A know it all in his own mind as well as opinionated
He believes he is god's gift to women though his latest girlfriend Rina sent him packing
She found him overbearing and in humility sadly lacking
He boasts he will become a famous man well known and very wealthy
He loves himself that bit too much and this for the mind not healthy
Not the young female pin up man of the town though in the pride stakes he is the proudest
And at the local pub on a Saturday evening his voice always the loudest
It truly can be said of Zino for drinking alcohol and boasting
That he does not need the praises of anyone since himself he is always toasting
On self promotion it does seem on talking of self so much time invested
On self alone it is obvious that Zino is only interested
It surely can be said of him that by himself he is grossly overrated
Which is not uncommon among those with egos quite inflated.

Life Is The Greatest Gift

The millions out there with your talents you may impress
But what has made you wealthy and famous is not the greatest gift that you possess
A gift that is far greater than wealth and fame
That every living person has and life is it's name
Money and fame nowadays seems the in thing
And though the praises of the celebrities the impressionable masses may sing
The poorest of poor people in every town
Who do live and will die as strangers to renown
Have one thing in common with the known billionaire
The great gift of life is a thing all do share
To many you may be looked on as a great
One of the privileged few they choose to celebrate
And though millions of people you are known to impress
Life is the greatest gift that you possess.

The Sweet Sound Of Laughter

To it there is always a joyous ring
The sweet sound of laughter is a beautiful thing
Laugh and the whole World does laugh with you
Words of the wise that remain ever true
The happy person people wish to know
He or she has in them the inner glow
They carry joy with them when walking the street
And share it with everyone they happen to meet
Where happy people are laughter does abound
They carry it with them and share it around
Those who have laughter are lucky indeed
Though of more of their sort the Human World is in need
Of them in truth i only can say
People with laughter bring joy to my day.

As For Those Who Worry

So many do worry of things way beyond their control
And of the mind and body health this takes a heavy toll
Those who are prone to worry their worries seem to grow
Which is not good for their constitution and of health problems of they do know
Those who are prone to worry do worry night and day
And one worry leads to another it always seems this way
The people known to worry their moods are often black
And some of them die of cancer and some of a heart attack
I pity every worrier they always look so sad
Worrying does not rid them of their problems only make them twice as bad
There is so much to like in those who laugh their cares away
The joy they have in living they share with others every day
And as for those who worry it is only sad to say
That their worries do grow bigger with every passing day.

When Time Seems To Stand Still

On my many flights of fancy i go back many a Spring
The bells of old St Davids in my memory they ring
Above the coastal potato fields in the prime of the May
When i visualize in fancy i can hear them ring today

The tatie hokers picking potatoes their backs bent to the sky
Above the cliffs of the ocean the airborne gulls did cry
And the bells of old St Davids so beautiful to hear
In the calm of the evening in the Springtime of the year

Tatie hoking not an easy life or not an easy way
Even for strong and fit young men for to earn a living pay
But this was many years ago and only memories remain
Of a way of life that used to be of hard work for little gain

Above the brown potato fields carrying in the winds of rain
The bells of old St Davids i hear them ring again
The airborne gulls are mewing high above Lleithy hill
How great the gift of memory is when time seems to stand still.

In Tower Hill Cemetery

All day and night the cars pass up and down
Between Warrnambool City and old Port Fairy Town
In the Moyne Shire on the Princes Highway
By the cemetery where the dead at Tower Hill lay
But traffic noise will not wake the forever gone
And life as usual in the World goes on
Perhaps some of Tower Hill's deceased drove on the Princes Highway years ago
Long before time it did become their foe
Many of Tower Hill's deceased attended primary school
In the Moyne Shire or the City of Warrnambool
In south west Victoria in the coastal countryside
Many of them lived their lives there and died
And in Tower Hill cemetery their remains lay
At peace forever by the Princes Highway.

I Have Been Writing Rhymes

I have been writing rhymes since i was in my life's prime
And this is going back some four decades in time
Of people and nature and places and life i do write
For others if they so wish to for to read and recite
Just one who has written a whole heap of stuff
For many years i have been a rhyming buff
In literary circles not one to the fore
I write for enjoyment and little else more
Too old for to dream now of literary fame
Perhaps i will die as i live without much to my name
In my physical prime before time became my foe
I penned my first rhymes forty three years ago
And though my better days in the forever gone
For as long as i can do i will keep rhyming on.

Old Millstreet Town Where I Attended School

Though i was born and raised near there and lived there for many years
For there i have shed my last nostalgic tears
Old Millstreet Town where i attended school
Far north of this countryside between Koroit and Warrnambool
Far south of there my hair has turned to gray
And i have known of a far better day
And though Millstreet Town i never more may see
Good memories of what was are today with me
In Claraghatlea my very first home place
Where mine to many was a well known face
To most i would be a stranger today
Absence makes one a stranger as the wise one say
And today i would feel a stranger in old Millstreet Town
Near where i lived when my hair was dark brown.

Many People Are Worried

Many people are worried of their public esteem
What others think or say of them important to them it does seem
Suppose to like to be liked is a natural thing
It is nice when others your praises do sing

But should it be that important to us anyway
What other people of us think or say
Some who were quite wealthy and knew of great fame
Were far from good people and died a death of shame

A lack of public esteem to some a dent to their pride
Such things are born of conceit and vanity and to the ego are tied
The more egotistical sort on praise do seem to thrive
Though we all do need some ego in the World to survive

Every day for this thing known as success people do compete
And in many success gives rise to self conceit
So many do crave for success and fame
Though some wealthy and famous people are known to have died in shame.

Everyone Have Their Own Stories

The wealthy and famous and the never do well
Everyone have their own story of life to tell
The president, the billionaire and the refugee
And the homeless who know of extreme poverty
Of life have their own stories but it seems sad to say
As in the past only the stories of the wealthy and famous we hear and read of today
Few born into poverty do live to grow old
And sadly their life stories will never be told
Though they too do have their own stories to tell
Of how life feels for those living in Earthly Hell
So many by circumstance of birth of life's opportunities denied
And the social gap as ever does keep growing wide
And though everyone of life have their stories to tell
Only of the privileged few books are published to sell.

Not An Endangered Breed

Everyday old friendships lost and new friendships won
And though i refuse to hate i do not like everyone
And though some sins against you may be hard to forgive
There is truth in the saying in live and let live
Always give credit to where it is due
And to your higher self try to remain as true
The one who finds pleasure in verbally putting others down
Does never become the most popular person in the town
Those who do not believe on a fair go for all
In their way of thinking does seem rather small
And those who out of kindness perform a good deed
For their future good karma are planting the seed
Those who live for self only in mind poor indeed
Though sadly they are not an endangered breed.

Some I Went To School With

Some i went to school with not living today
And time has left me looking wrinkled and gray
The farewell bell for them will too ring for me
Some time in the future whenever that be
The fact is us humans are mortals and fact does not lie
And like all other life forms one day we must die
And on how long we live we do not have a say
The clock on our lives ever ticking away
On looking back it does not seem that long since i went to school
Far north of this countryside by Warrnambool
But in human years this is long ago
And time that rusts iron has become my foe
Some i went to school with now resting in peace
And the longest lived life of time not a long lease.

Mr Negative

The life of any party he never will be
You show him a flower and a weed he does see
A positive word one does not hear him say
He does look at life in a negative way
Hope in his mind it does seem truly dead
He sees no hope for humanity in the decades ahead
Known as Mr Negative on his side of the town
He never looks happy he always seems down
Of talking to his sort one quickly does tire
To self betterment anyone he will never inspire
On any hope for the future he does cast a doubt
One positive word never escapes his mouth
Of hope for the future he will not light the flame
Mr Negative by nature and Mr Negative by name.

Denis O'Mahony

Denis O'Mahony the Inchaleigh mountain climber the man who has climbed to the summit of many a hill
In his early to his mid sixties as is said time does not stand still
He has a passion for hill climbing the steep heights he does not fear
He has been climbing mountains for many a year

One of the O'Mahonys of Clara he first climbed Clara mountain as a young boy
He has climbed many higher peaks since then the challenge of the climb he enjoy
The man who does love climbing mountains though his best days in the forever gone
But age does not weary brave Denis the man who does keep climbing on

Born and raised in the shadows of Clara a mile from Millstreet Town
To be Duhallow's leading mountaineer his claim to renown
As a climber of high peaks he is known far and wide
Beyond the green borders of his home countryside

Everyone is good at doing something those wise words i recall
Some are good at sports and some are good at football
As a great mountaineer Denis O'Mahony is well known
There is truth in the old saying of each to their own

For his mountaineering skills his reputation is growing
Now into his sixties and he is not slowing
He does not fear the steep climb where the ground it is rough
Denis O'Mahony seems to like it when the going does get tough.

The Likeable Fellow

A good living person he never harms anyone
His mum and his dad in him raised a good son
One who loves his family as well as his wife
So sad for to hear he is battling for life

A grandad in his mid sixties three decades past his prime
He has been unwell only for a brief time
Undergoing chemotherapy and feeling quite ill
As he fights lung cancer a disease known to kill

One who makes others happy he does love to sing
To parties and social gatherings joy with him he bring
A likeable person in him nothing bad
And at news of his illness so many feel sad

He enjoyed a few beers and loved music and song
And often at the local pub led the sing along
One who did work hard for his every pay
It is karma gone wrong in his life one can say

It is a fact we are born as mortals and fact never lie
But not every victim of cancer does die
One hopes he survives for to see in the Spring
The likeable fellow who does love to sing.

Local Sporting Heroes

Local sporting heroes are many they are not or were never rare
The cricketer and local tennis star and the town's best football player
They share one thing in common they know of local fame
Though they all do aspire to a far greater name
And most local sporting heroes yearn to be known far and wide
Beyond their hometowns and their home countryside
Though local sporting heroes to be found in towns everywhere
There are far greater champions in the big World out there
Most local sporting heroes to sporting greatness to aspire
To be World famous a thing they desire
Though behind the World greats the local sporting heroes may lag
To be best in your hometown is surely worth a brag
When i am out walking in the park or on the street
A local sporting hero or two every day i do meet.

The Past Followed Me

Wherever i go to my past comes along
In fancy i can hear the robin on song
In a leafy grove from here far away
When the hawthorns are in their white blooms of the May
And the old fields lush and green from recent Spring showers
Are looking resplendent in Nature's own flowers
And cattle out of wintering sheds on months of silage and hay
On nutritious young grass gaining weight by the day
I retain mental pictures of beauty i have seen
Like bluebells in bloom on the ditch of bohreen
Or the dark barn swallows chirping as they fly
In pursuit of flying insects across the gray sky
The past followed me from the fields far away
When i visualize it is with me today.

It Is Not Out Of My Sort

It is not out of my sort that heroes are made
Post death memories of me will be quick to fade
I will never be remembered for any good i have done
I was not one who was there when the battle was won
But it will not matter to me anyway
If i am remembered or forgotten when i have had my day
At the end of life's journey it will come to the same
To the heroes and the wealthy and all who have known of fame
Death makes as equal the honored and celebrated and all poor women and men
To the successful and failures it will not matter then
I have not fought in war where the gunfire is loud
And in life i have nothing to feel ashamed of or of to feel proud
I live in my own way and do my own thing
And for as long as i can do to life i will cling.

To Anyone Who Call Me A Dreamer

To anyone who call me a dreamer i always say thank you
To me this is a compliment though my dreams for me do not come true
Though to be called a dreamer mostly meant for those in or near poverty
It does seem a compliment when said to me
For dreamers of all sorts in the World we do need
Without them humanity would be poorer indeed
When all hope of success out of your life has gone
The dream for years you have nurtured makes you want to live on
At your darkest moments your dreams keep you alive
In hope of achieving what you yearn for the hard times you survive
Everybody has some dream in life to pursue
Though not many dreams are known for to come true
If somebody calls you a dreamer to them you should say
Thank you very much for helping to make my day.

It Saddens Me More Than A Bit

It saddens me more than a bit to think i will not live to see
When between race and gender there will be equality
Considered to be inferior by your sexuality and the color of your skin
Some battles in life are not easy to win

Racism and sexism as ever seem rife
So sadly they do seem part of human life
Gender and racial inequality are with us today
Some things slow to change it does seem this way

Add to these sexual preference which many people choose to hide
Because of prejudice a well founded fear in Countries Worldwide
The age of unenlightenment we are told is in the long gone
But prejudice as we all know today does live on

Though free speech as such should never be a crime
A Human World free of prejudice will not be in my lifetime
In this so called age of enlightenment some in their thinking are small
And when they talk of a fair go they do not mean a fair go for all.

Joe The Shearer

His craggy wrinkled face tells of time's wear and tear
Bald at the top of the head surrounded by silver gray hair
He has been to many places and walked on many a path
Since he left the rural City of Ararat.

One who has had plenty of lovers but never a wife
He knows that one of his affairs to a son did give life
But that was years ago in a far away town
Back when his hair was a dark chestnut brown

His son or his son's mother he has not seen for years
Though memories of his loss does not move him to tears
He is of a tough school as one does say
One who has lived life in the hard way

He worked as a shearer years beyond his life's prime
And this is going back many Seasons in time
His nomadic existence carried him to places new
And of women in his life he had quite a few

A man who loved the country town pub atmosphere
And he does retain his strong liking for beer
One who in his life nothing to did come free
He looks fit and well for one of eighty three

His better days in life he surely has known
Too old now for women he sleeps on his own
Joe the Shearer was in his prime five decades ago
And as is said of time it becomes everyone's foe.

Every Tick Of The Clock

Every tick of the clock to my end brings me near
But it is only the fear of dying that i do fear
The fear of nothingness when i draw my last living breath
This is the main reason that i do fear death
I envy those who believe in their God's Kingdom in the sky
Where with wings post bodily death their souls to will fly
I believe that the soul with the death of the body does die
But for my very thoughts so much worse off am i
Of the praises of God i cannot bring myself to sing
Lack of faith it does seem is a soul destroying thing
It has created the fear of death in me
So much one must suppose for mind poverty
And every tick of the clock to my end brings me near
But it is only the fear of dying that i do fear.

Enjoy Life

Enjoy life time on you is ticking away
There are no parties where dead people lay
A young man in the prime of your life
Without any children to support or a wife
With a well paying job and heaps of money in the bank
And quickly climbing the ladder of the social rank
All you talk of is money and becoming a billionaire
Though young men of your sort not endangered or rare
You do not go to parties money you do not want to spend
People become mean when money is their greatest friend
They do not realize that fleeting is one's life's prime
And that life's Reaper can call your name at any time
Do enjoy life whilst young time is on the hurry
You are not short of money so why do you worry?

Of More Friends Of The Earth

Due to Climate Change and destruction of natural habitat by the greedy environmentally unaware
Many species of wildlife are becoming quite rare
Far too many only interested in the promotion of their own welfare
To realize that Planet Earth is only for us to live in and with other creatures to share
Due to the sharp increase in the human population Worldwide
Trees and bushes being removed and natural habitat for wildlife being destroyed
For to build houses and factories wildlife are being displaced every day
That many of us human beings are not friends of the good Earth that does feed us does seem sad to say
Of more environmentally aware people the Human World is in need
Far too many species of wildlife becoming endangered mostly because of human greed
Land clearance for development in a time of Climate Change seems out of control
And on all wild born creatures is taking a huge toll
Of more friends of the Earth and not human greed
The World we live in is so badly of in need.

In Tubrid Today

Today people doing the rounds in Tubrid Well
Of miracles from there some have stories to tell
The Well of Tobair Ide is a natural spring
To see the clear water surface in bubbles is an amazing thing
Devout people from Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra come to Tubrid in May
To do their prayer rounds there and kneel at the grotto to pray
Quite healthy to drink at anytime of year
The water in Tubrid Well always pure and clear
Quite close to the place where the waterways meet
Tubrid a fifteen minute walk from the Town of Millstreet
In the heart of Claraghatlea in view of Clara Hill
A spot where it does seem that time does stand still
People from places nearby and further away
Are doing their prayer rounds in Tubrid today.

Dunkeld

Dunkeld of the Geriwerd with a charm of it's own
For it's scenic beauty it is widely known
Where Mt Sturgeon and Mt Abrupt does ever look down
On the countryside of the Southern Grampians around Dunkeld Town
A place for it's beauty that is widely known
Of hospitable people with a charm of their own
A nice place to visit or for a longer stay
From the big Town of Hamilton only thirty kilometers away
The subject of story, of song and of rhyme
Mt Sturgeon and Mt Abrupt are so old in time
By those old hills the bones of the first Australians lay
The descendants of the people of Dreamtime not living near Dunkeld today
By the Geriwerd Ranges for it's beauty well known
A nice little Town with a charm of it's own.

Dennington Town

Of many nationalities and races of black, white and brown
The beautiful women of Dennington Town
Where many greet you with a smile on their face
A stranger in Dennington never feels out of place
Where the dark Merri waters towards Warrnambool flow
By Dennington Town it does crawl along slow
With an old World charm yet a modern Town
Dennington of Victoria south west a gem in the crown
Close to the City of Warrnambool with a charm of it's own
For it's hospitable people Dennington is well known
And where beautiful women free of guile and conceit
With happy smiling faces one always does meet
By the dark Merri waters in Dennington Town
Of Victoria's south west a gem in the crown.

The Life's Journey For Me

The life's journey for me it has been uphill
And many look on me as a bit of a dill
For without monetary reward penning slipshod rhyme
Which to most people does seem a huge waste of time

So many in the World of today to money can only relate
And to those of affluence look up to and celebrate
For any task they perform money they demand
And those who do things for enjoyment they do not understand

I am one of many who live in a cocoon of self doubt
Of rhyming and rhyme to others i do not talk about
If you talk about rhyming to them most people look at you in a strange way
Their body language tell you what in words they do not say

Some four decades of years past my physical prime
If i was interested in making money i would not be penning rhyme
But it is something i enjoy doing the reason i write rhymes every day
And what i enjoy doing why should i give away.

We Learn As We Live

That we never stop learning does seem true to say
And from life we do learn something new every day
Many with very high I Q's have come to realize
That they have so much to learn this not a surprise
So much for to learn and time ticking on
At midnight today will be in the forever gone
Most people in life have some dream to pursue
And that time does not wait for anyone remains ever true
As is said in life to receive we must learn how to give
And as the wise one does say we do learn as we live
The praises of knowledgeable people few bother to sing
Though the great gift of knowledge is a marvelous thing
That we never stop learning is not a lie
And we learn as we live until the day we do die.

One Of The Town's Oldest People

One of the town's oldest people was buried today
Five times a great grandmother at peace she now lay
In her late eighties to a horrible man she was a good wife
For forty four of the unhappiest years of her life
For her partner in life she had chosen the wrong one
He often came home from the pub and beat her and their young son
On the day he died of a heart attack and she was told he was dead
A tear at the news of his sudden passing for him by her not shed
The news of the passing of the man she once loved to her a sense of relief
For a love that had died years ago how could she feel grief
On her eighty ninth year of life in her sleep she died
Her family and friends today wept at her graveside
A good person to a horrible man a long suffering wife
She was one who did not have an easy life.

What Does Define Happiness

What does define happiness i would not know
On bushes and trees such a thing does not grow
Even the wealthiest people in every town
Does know how it feels to be mentally down
The praises of happiness people do sing
For it must be indeed quite a wonderful thing
It is something i cannot say of i have ever known
It is said the seeds of it in the mind are sown
Money and success may afford you a better lifestyle
Though the wealthy one some days cannot manage a smile
Suppose it is better be wealthy and unhappy than unhappy in poverty
But if money could buy happiness how marvelous this for the wealthy would be
On saying that happiness is a wonderful gift that is enjoyed by so few
I am not telling you anything that is new.

This Should Not Be A Surprise

Every day of my life i do learn something new
And in this i realize i am not one of a few
From life we do learn something new every day
We never stop learning as the wise one does say
And the more we learn of life the more we come to realize
That we do know so little this is not a surprise
We age rather fast beyond our physical prime
And so much for to learn in so little time
That the one who knows everything was and may never be born is not a lie
Though of life we never stop learning until the day we do die
Of the praises of life i feel happy to sing
Though the accumulation of knowledge it can be a humbling thing
For the more that we learn the more we come to realize
That of life we know little this should not be a surprise.

I Have Not Been Back

I have not been back to old Ireland for years
But for it i have shed my last nostalgic tears
And no tears left for Clara that ever looks down
On the evergreen countryside by Millstreet Town

Some three decades of years far south of Hibernia's shore
And in distance far from the high fields of Claramore
And far from Claraghatlea where i was born and grew into a man
I realize that i well may live out my life span

In the flat countryside where the rushes in clusters do grow
No tears for Duhallow where the Blackwater flow
And though on my flights of fancy familiar places and faces i see
I only have the memories of the what used to be.

Perhaps i will never again see the old Paps of Shrone
or Caherbarnagh or Gortavehy in it's face of stone
And my friends of the past i may not now recognize
Absence and time can make people strangers i have come to realize

Some of the children of the nineteen fifties in eternal rest lay
And the living are aging and showing their years in wrinkles and gray
clearly too i have known a far better day
And the clock on my life keeps on ticking away.

It Is People Who Kill People

Of respect he may not be worthy but respect he command
The fellow who does have a gun in his hand
With the trigger unlocked and the barrel pointing towards your head
One word of disrespect at such a moment could leave you as dead
It is people who kill people though guns they do blame
In the wrong hands guns are deadly weapons of them for want of a better name
Those who use guns in robberies with little provocation do kill
With a loaded gun pointed at you try to stay calm and be still
People with guns do murder people every day
That such people see human life as worthless seems such a sad thing for to say
In Countries in guns where there is no Government control
Mass deaths by shootings is taking it's toll
But for the murdering of people guns are not to blame
The people who use them to kill they must live with their shame.

In Life Every Day

In life every day for you there is a challenge to meet
For a job start with others you have to compete
In life as in love people win and lose every day
This is how it is and has always been this way
And one fact of life that with us does remain
Is that someone must lose for another to gain
With the increase in the human population more compete for success
And more disappointment and less happiness
This thing known as success so many do desire
And no shortage of those who to greatness aspire
And though the praises of those deemed to be successful the impressionable may sing
Success in itself can be a relative thing
For the one that is successful to you may not be so to me
Suppose everyone on all things do not always agree.

Of Seasons Long Gone

Of Seasons long gone and of the what used to be
We only have in us an aging memory
At the stroke of midnight the past will be today
And the clock on our lives does keep ticking away
Fleeting our young years and fleeting our lives prime
And in memory we only can go back in time
The funeral bell that rang for someone today will one day ring for me
Like all other life forms us humans are born to mortality
Three score and ten years the average human life span
A few years more for a woman than it is for a man
The Reaper of lives does treat as the same
The lives of the paupers and those of wealth and fame
On looking back the Seasons it does not seem long ago
Since i was a young man but time has become my foe.

Never Too Old For To Fall In Love

The gift of love in a person live until she or he does die
And that you are never too old for to fall in love is surely not a lie
The gift of love to it does not have an age it belongs to old and young
Of love poems and stories written and of love songs are sung
There are so many forms of love as love is a part of life
The love of a woman for her husband the love of a man for his wife
The love of parents for their children the bond of love is strong
To every race of human kind the gift of love belong
Songs of love of young people the pop singers do sing
But that love it can grow strong with age is an amazing thing
Love does not have an age to it and love lives on in time
It has been known to grow stronger in people far beyond their lives prime
That love does have an age to it surely is a lie
One is never too old for to fall in love and never too young to die.

Where Finnow The White River

Where Finnow the white river to the Blackwater flow
In the fields where the rushes in clusters do grow
Where it has flowed forever it babbles on slow
In the home to the badger, the rabbit, the hare and gray crow

The inspiration of the writers of story and rhyme
Finnow the white river is so old in time
The truth of it's history will never be told
Like all natural waterways it is so very old

In the fields by Finnow the white river as a young boy
The beauty of Nature i grew to enjoy
As human years go this now seems long ago
And time that ages everything has become my foe

The great gift of memory is such a marvelous thing
Above the rushy fields in the prime of the Spring
The little brown lark a musical speck in the sky
Does sing as up to the gray clouds he does fly

In the leafy groves by Finnow the white river the birds are singing today
And in the rushy fields wildflowers are in bloom in the prime of the May
And though the sun often hidden behind clouds of gray
Earthly Utopia from there cannot be far away.

On My Life's Final Day

For many years i have been a rhyming buff
A fellow who has penned a whole heap of stuff
The rhymes that in notebook every day i write down
Is never in hope of money or literary renown
It is something i have said more than once before
I write for enjoyment and little else more
I live with this addiction of penning of rhyme
Which some remind me is a huge waste of time
I do not write for the making of money or fame
But it is something i do enjoy doing just the same
My Best years in life in the forever gone
But i enjoy rhyming and i will rhyme on
And to those who tell me that i ought to give it away
I tell them i will on my life's final day.

On Noel Browne's Mother And Child Bill

I was only a five years old boy in nineteen fifty one when the Mother and Child Bill of Dr Noel Browne
Due to pressure from the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland went down
Which brought about Browne's resignation as Minister for Health which to history now does belong
Though in trying to financially help single mothers for to raise their children he had not done anything wrong
At a time when the Roman Catholic Church in the Republic of Ireland had great political power
They had a huge influence over Irish Catholic voters and politicians fearing voters backlash from opposing them did cower
Dr Noel Browne who was trying to bring about needed change in Ireland lost out to voter dread
Suppose Noel Browne in his thinking of his time was a person who was decades ahead
There is no politician with courage and ideas for the advancement of the disadvantaged like noel Browne had in the Ireland of today
But that the Irish Roman Catholic Church has lost it's political influence and power seems a good thing to say
In any democratically governed Nation any religious institution should not have any influence over the governing of the State
That the Catholic Church has lost it's political influence in Ireland is something to celebrate
I was only five when the Minister for Health Noel Browne introduced to the Irish Dail the Mother and child Bill
But due to Church influence and voter dread politicians to back him they did lack the will.

Such Beautiful Weather

Such beautiful weather for late Autumn and May
In the blue and sunny sky just a few clouds of gray
Of a cool though a very mild coastal breeze
And the wild birds are chirping on the bushes and trees
On this beautiful day in the green sunlit coastal park
The familiar pee wee of the pied magpie lark
In the park playground the happy sound of laughter of children as they play
On what is a marvelous out of doors day
The best things in life one does not pay to see
The beauty of Nature is all around me
And the beauty in Nature it is never rare
And with her at her finest no sight to compare
Such a pleasant evening in the memory to stay
Earthly Utopia from this place cannot be far away.

They Have To Live With Their Shame

This one known as the supreme being a lot of trouble create
In the name of God so much violence and murdering and hate
Because of so called religious people many good people have died in the cruelest and foulest way
Lives lost in car and suicide bombings one hear of in the news every day
Bombing survivors badly injured condemned to live their lives in chronic pain
And some of them with their feet missing are never for to walk again
All because of people for their god who at killing and maiming rejoice
People who have lost respect for self and humanity on how they live they have made the wrong choice
Extreme fundamentalists in their thinking they have gone all wrong in the head
They only have power for to take life but they cannot give life to the dead
For this one known as god so much death and suffering good people murdered and maimed every day
By bad criminals who have lost empathy and compassion the worst of people one can say
The god they kill and maim for of their sins not guilty for their crimes they alone are to blame
They sow the seeds of the worst karma and they have to live with their shame.

Something One Would Not Choose

A fact of life with us that remain
Somebody's loss becomes others gain
Though many with what i say may disagree
This is how life is and will always be
For one to win others must lose
Though winning most people would choose
To the winner the money and fame
And honor to her or to his name
It is only the famous and great
That the masses out there celebrate
The successful and wealthy never short of a friend
Money speaks every language why otherwise pretend
In life to win others must lose
And losing is something one would not choose.

I Am From The Fields

I am from the fields where the waterways meet
The green countryside near the town of Millstreet
In Claraghatlea from here far away
I first looked on the bright lamp of day
The past may be gone but the good memories remain
Of the old fields i may never walk on again
Where i grew to love Nature when i was a boy
And learning of her ways today i enjoy
Yet so little of Nature's ways i can claim to know
For many years i have lived far from where Finnow waters flow
In the fields where the rushes in clusters do grow
On towards the ocean bound Blackwater it babbles on slow
And on my flights of fancy i do see again
Old Clara half cloaked in the gray fogs of rain.

You Never Hear Johnny Say

You never hear Johnny say life is unfair
Though for years he has been battling his black moods of despair
His mental illness has ruined his chances of becoming a father or having a wife
He has not what you would call a near to happy life
Yet the gift of hope is a thing he retain
And about life he is one who never complain
He hopes that of mental illness he may yet be free
In him hope springs eternal is how it seems to be
The clock on his life ever keeps ticking on
In his late fifties his best days long gone
For years on medication to keep clinical depression at bay
Poor Johnny has known of many a sad day
And though for years he has been battling the black moods of despair
You never hear him say that life is unfair.

Friends They Are Few

It does not seem possible so why even pretend
That everyone that you know to you is a friend
Since acquaintances are many and friends are few
And this in itself is not anything new
A friend will stand by you when you are mentally and financially down
When you are one of the poorest of the town
Your acquaintances from you look the other way
But your friend at such times as your friend does stay
When you are in trouble your friend will stand by you
I only say here what happens to be true
You may be forsaken by your partner or husband or wife
But your friend as a friend will be your friend for life
Acquaintances are many and friends they are few
And this in itself is not anything new.

Lock The Gate

It is about time that farmers united and on fracking companies lock every gate
Those who have signed a document to allow fracking on their land to change their mind on it too late
Fracking by Multi-national companies for coal seam and shale gas is something that is occurring Worldwide
Due to the greed of multi billionaires prime agricultural land is being destroyed
The farmers who allow fracking on their land on what for them is a short term financial gain
On the long term will end up much poorer and to their children will have to explain
How they were duped by Multi-national companies and their land has become worthless for agricultural use
Suppose for every mistake we make in life we do have to find some excuse
Farmers lock the gate on fracking companies and from your land keep the billionaires out
If you sign your rights away to frackers in the long term for it you will pay little doubt
Fracking has been known to contaminate waterways and to render as useless the land
That for a short term gain the farmers who allow fracking in the long term will lose they fail to understand
Farmers lock the gate on the frackers and keep the greedy billionaires out
If you allow them in you will end up the losers of this there is not any doubt.

It Is Raining In Macroom Today

The fields by the Sullane lush and rich green resplendent in their wildflowers of May
And the nesting birds chirping and singing but it is raining in Macroom today
The cattle out of wintering sheds from months of eating silage and hay
On nutritious young grass getting fatter and contentedly chewing their cuds whilst at rest they lay
But it is drizzling rain in Macroom by the Sullane with only a very slight breeze
And the weather it is cool though not cold a weather forecast high of some sixteen degrees
The deciduous trees looking quite healthy in their new Summer leaves of green
And though the sun behind gray clouds is hidden Nature at her finest is seen
In the dark pools of the Sullane River the brown trout are jumping for fly
And the dark barn swallows are chirping chasing flying insects low in the sky
It is not the best of Spring weather though not unusual for the time of year
And the call of the migratory cuckoo is always such a nice sound to hear
The rain is falling in a light drizzle and the sun hidden behind clouds of gray
And though Nature is looking resplendent it is raining in Macroom today.

You May Be A Marvelous Champion

You may be a marvelous champion and your fans in large numbers may grow
A sporting hero of your hometown the one everyone wish to know
You are the person of the moment the sporting icon of the town
But as good if not better than you have been beaten and in the popular stakes have dropped down
It is known that you do feel conceited but for this fan adulation can be to blame
For the greatly admired it is hard to be humble it is not a humbling thing fame
When you are one who is celebrated and your praises the fans love to sing
Defeat can be ego deflating and a very humbling thing
Eventually the best are beaten for fleeting the physical prime
All champions grow slower and older everyone does fall victim to time
We are like the deciduous trees of the Summer that lose their beauty to the Fall
Of time we all do become victims for it does take care of us all
And though you may be a marvelous champion heroes do come and do go
For time the thing that does rust iron eventually becomes everyone's foe

I Feel Lucky In Life

I feel lucky in life in truth i can say
In some of the nice people i do meet every day
With those who talk of a terrible World to live in i cannot say i agree
At least this is how it does seem to me
Every day i meet people with the inner glow
Though strangers to me them i cannot claim to know
So many of all nationalities and races who are caring and kind
Who to help other people are always readily inclined
When i say that good people are not of the few
I am not saying anything that is new
Good and kind people even strangers to me every day i do meet
When i am out walking in the park or the street
People i cannot even profess for to know
But by their friendly disposition they have the inner glow.

We Are All Individuals

The most tribal of people are individuals in some sort of a way
We are all individuals despite what some might say
Individuals who are born with minds of our own
Though as members of tribes people become better known
The desire to be part of a tribe in most people is strong
And to one tribe or another the majority belong
And though of the praises of loners you will not hear many sing
All loners are those who like doing their own thing
Yet tribes are made up of individual kind
And each individual has his or her own mind
On behalf of the tribe their leader the one who does speak
But in the tribal bond the weakest link is not weak
Yet many may disagree when i do say
That we are all individuals in some sort of a way.

A Dangerous Sort Of Pride

Some people carry their love of their National flag too far
As it ignites the patriotism in them that leads to war
Of the color of their national flag the patriots do sing
But patriotism in the extreme can be a dangerous thing
It has it's source in the thinking of us against they
That any sort of extremism not healthy it does seem this way
Not healthy for the health of the mind is what i mean to say
Extremism one of the main causes of unrest in the World of today
They carry their ideologies to serious crime which is the extreme
That extremists can become quite dangerous people is how it does seem
Extreme patriots and religious fanatics are or were never few
And that they have caused death, grief and suffering this not anything new
Far too many because of others love of god and country have had to live with serious injuries or have died
The pride of extremism can be a dangerous sort of pride.

You May Even Be

You may even be feeling suicidal at your obvious lack of success
Why even give it a thought the taking of the greatest gift you possess
Than your gift of life there is no greater so why would you wish to throw it away
Even though you feel as poor as a church mouse on what for you is another bad day
It is hard for to even feel hopeful when you are in dire poverty
When very few wish to know of you how sad for you this must be
You may wish Life's Reaper would claim the life from you but the will to live stronger than the wish to die
Those who tell you there are greater gifts than life are those who believe their own lie
Tomorrow for you may be better and the future for you better times may bring
You may as well look at the bright side too much sadness for you is not a good thing
Worrying about them will not solve your problems one worry leads to another they say
Living life is not always easy and it always has been this way
You may well be feeling suicidal and nothing for you is going right
But life is the greatest of all gifts and many for their last living breath fight.

Where Life It Is Lived

Where life it is lived at a leisurely pace
I feel sad on leaving the beautiful place
Where no factory chimney puff gray smoke to the sky
And from tree to tree the birds chirp as they fly
As through the wooded valley we drive on the roadway
The overcast sky looking gloomy and gray
But good memories of such beauty with me bound to stay
I do know for sure that they will not fade in a day
The weather windy and cool some fifteen degrees
As we drive on the road through the valley of trees
I may not be back here for many a day
But good memories of such beauty with me bound to stay
The wooded hills half cloaked in the gray fogs of rain
And if life is in me i will return here again.

Halls Gap Of The Geriwerd

It still has a presence of Australia's first race
Halls Gap in the Geriwerd Ranges such a beautiful place
A small Town by the mountains among the gum trees
Whenever i go there i leave with great memories

Of this beautiful place in the wooded countryside
Where people come to visit from places far and wide
Of beautiful birds and marsupials and introduced red deer
Earthly Utopia to Halls Gap does have to be near

Artist do sketch it's beauty and writers about it do write
Stories and poems for to read and recite
Of the Geriwerd Ranges of pollution free
In Halls Gap so much natural beauty for to see

Halls Gap of the Geriwerd a place that is widely known
For it's natural beauty with a charm of it's own
A place that for many does hold great memories
In view of the wooded hills among the gum trees.

Of Nature And Life

Of Nature and life my wonder does grow
Yet so little about them i can claim to know
We learn as we live a little every day
We never stop learning it does seem this way
In the World of knowledge our imprint is small
In a lifetime of learning we learn little at all
As we age so little about things we know we do come to realize
Though this in itself should not be any surprise
Every day of my life i do learn something new
And in this i realize that i am not one of a few
We never stop learning until the day we do die
A truism of life and truth does not lie
And of nature and life my wonder only does grow
Yet so little about them i can claim for to know.

They Are Not Deceased

In the living flesh i will not see them again
But mental images of them until death i will retain
In memory i see and talk to them every day
To me they have not died they have just gone away
From the places and homes they had lived in for many years
Why should i weep for them when they do not need my tears
When they are living and breathing in me
They will only die when i die whenever that be
I was told they had died but to my surprise
Their voices and appearances i can visualize
Though if i said i see them in the living flesh i would be telling a lie
In me they will live until the day i do die
They are not deceased they have just gone away
I see and i do talk to them every day.

Our Moods Do Affect Other People

Our moods do affect other people despite what you may think or say
If someone does choose to ignore you though in passing you bid them a good day
You may say to yourself he or she does not like me and about it feel a little down
For nobody likes their greeting for to be ignored when walking on the sidewalks of the town

Our moods do affect other people in some form or on some other way
That silence is a hurtful weapon used by people mind games who do like to play
Though some people may tell you the moods of others do not affect them one sense that to their feelings they are not true
Or else they are not honest in their words with you and this is to give them their due

Our moods do affect other people if you always look happy and bright
And greet everyone with good morning, good day, good evening or good night
They are people you do like meeting since their sort in large numbers do not abound
They always do carry joy with them and are happy to spread it around.

Our moods do affect other people at least this is how it seems to be
Though this is only my opinion that many with would not agree
If you wish somebody a nice day and to your greeting he or she does not reply
And you are not affected by this your gift of feelings you are one who does deny.

That Time Is On The Hurry

That time is on the hurry one has to be aware
So why should one worry or why should one care
About life and it's problems since time does tick on
And at midnight this evening today will be gone
That time does not wait on anybody only too true to say
Each day we do live is one nearer to our last day
Seventy years the average human life span is how it seems to be
Though on the length of anyone's life there is no guarantee
Between people in their outlook on life a huge difference overall
What is a huge worry to one to another seems small
Some people seem to worry with little for to worry about
And some with reason to worry never seem down and out
All of us humans are born as mortals and this not a lie
And the longer we live the sooner we will die.

Jimmy Scannell

In Kiskeam in Duhallow his journey in life began
And there from a boy he grew into a man
He worked for Tom Mulcahy at Annagloor west of Millstreet Town more than three decades ago
On looking back time does pass quickly at least it seems so
Jimmy Scannell an honest down to earth fellow untainted by conceit
In Kilmallock in County Limerick where he went to live his soulmate he did meet
And in Kilmallock from Kiskeam in kilometers by road far away
The last remains of Jimmy Scannell does lay
Of late he died in his late sixties or early seventies give or take a few years
And his passing from life i feel sure would not have gone without tears
It can be truly said of him that he never harmed anyone
And that his mother and father in him raised a good son
One can only hope that his passing from life for him was a painless release
Jimmy Scannell who lived as a good person may he now rest in peace.

The Voice Of Addiction

My inner voice tells me maybe it is time
That i took a break from penning of doggerel rhyme
But the voice of addiction has it's own say
And urges me not to give rhyming away
And the voice of addiction that is never my friend
Over the voice of reason wins out in the end
And though i have known for years i lack in writing skill
Addiction is far stronger than the human will
On this beautiful sunny morning in May in the late Southern Fall
The wild birds of Nature do chirp sing and call
A weather forecast high for the day of eighteen degrees
And so calm and peaceful with the light of the sun on the trees
In the clear blue sky not one cloud of gray
It is so good to be living on such a nice day.

Of How Long Anyone Will Live

Of how long anyone will live there is no guarantee
So you can only live to be the best you can be
And it is a fact of life and fact never lie
That the longer you will live the sooner you will die
Some people are lacking in their humanity
And for the feelings of others feel no empathy
They cannot love self so they cannot love anyone
It is only those lacking in empathy harm to others are known to have done
Do unto others as you would like them do unto you
One of the all time truisms that does remain ever true
On helping others by going out of their way
Good people plant the good seeds of good Karma every day
Of how long anyone will live there is no guarantee
And this applies to everyone as well as me.

Dan Tehan

Dan Tehan the Australian Federal Government Minister of prominent teeth
Prior to the Australian Federal Election smiles at everyone he does meet
Like every seasoned politician he has learned to note
That a toothy smile may well win him a vote

No doubt his federal seat in Canberra he will retain
Though as a Federal Government Minister he may not remain
For that the Liberal National Parties will be the Government post election there is no guarantee
Hamilton's Liberal Party Dan may well be an opposition M P

Like every politician not one free of guile
Dan Tehan the man with the broad toothy smile
Though of his Liberal Party being in Government post 2016 Australian Federal Election he cannot feel sure
Of his Parliamentary seat in Canberra he can feel secure

A safe Liberal conservative seat he may claim for his own
But as a champion of poor people he will never be known
Like his Party and his Government very conservative in thinking and anti refugee
He does not do anything for the homeless, the stateless and those in poverty

In a very conservative electorate the majority will back him all of the way
Hamilton's Dan will remain a federal M P post Federal Election day
With his broad toothy smile more votes he will gain
And though his Liberal Party may not be in Government his safe seat he will retain.

I Have Heard

I have heard things not going well business wise in Millstreet Town
A lot of houses for sale and shops closing down
And from every Duhallow town and village immigration is on the rise
Though one might say this is not any surprise
In Ireland rural economies have been struggling since the Celtic Tiger has died
In every village and town in every county and countryside
Economy wise in Ireland the good days are over farewell to the past
As is said few things in life ever do seem to last
No jobs in Kanturk, Newmarket or in Knocknagree
And no employment opportunities in Cullen, Boherbue, Kiskeam or Derrinagree
Many homes and properties for sale but most of them remain unsold
It seems like in Ireland it is back to the days of old
Of pre Celtic Tiger migration of young people in the not distant past
But then few things in life ever do seem to last.

Old Maisie

As a much loved former Town person of the year
Today for old Maisie many shed a tear
In life she performed her good deeds every day
And to help those in need of helping so often went out of her way
Predeceased by six years by her soul mate her husband of fifty five years Dave
Now together forever they share the same grave
Eight times a grandmother she died at eighty one
She gave life to and raised to adulthood two daughters and a son
A champion of good causes on her side of the town
Always helping the marginalized and the financially down
She left us with good stories of her life to tell
This morning it rang for her the farewell bell
Her friends and relations wept by her grave
As her coffin was lowered to earth to be with her husband Dave.

As Is Said Of Time

A great champion eventually by age will go down in defeat
By one younger and stronger she or he will be beat
We slow by the year beyond our physical prime
And eventually we all become victims of time
As is said of time it takes care of the best
Many great champions today are in their final rest
The Reaper of lives does take care of them all
To his scythe of death the great and not so great do fall
Like all other life forms humans are mortals and this not a lie
No matter how great you are you eventually must die
Only Nature can lay claim to immortality
This is how it is and how it always will be
For all of us there is a last night and day
And equality reigns where dead people lay.

Warrnambool On A Wet And Windy Day

It is windy and raining and on the side of cool
Today in the old City of Warrnambool
The weather temperatures at a blustery fourteen degrees
And the wild gales are howling in the Norfolk pine trees
Though the gales in a few hours will blow themselves tame
Breezy Warrnambool today lives up to it's name
For anyone not a good out of doors day at all
Nobody walking on the Warrnambool breakwater wall
How loudly the mighty Pacific does roar
The storm driven huge white waves crash on to the shore
It is not wise for one to be out walking today
Even for Warrnambool so wet and stormy for May
A weather forecast high for the day of fourteen degrees
And the gales they are howling in the Norfolk pine trees.

Perhaps I May Never See Millstreet Again

Perhaps i may never see Millstreet again
And hear the frogs croak in the waterlogged drain
Or see Clara half cloaked in the fogs of rain
Only good memories of what was with me now remain

The great gift of memory it does serve me well
We all have our stories of life for to tell
My journey out of Duhallow has brought me far south
Of the home of the badger and the shy river trout

To the place of koala, echidna and gray kangaroo
And the long billed corella and yellow tailed black cockatoo
But home is where the heart is the wise one does say
And i feel contentment in where i live today

I cannot say that travel has brought me any financial gain
But good memories of what was today i retain
I may have left Duhallow but the past followed me
And i still have the memories of the what used to be

Perhaps i will never again see the Town of Millstreet
Or old Claraghatlea where the waterways meet
Or any of the friends of my past who are aging today
Some of them i did know in their long rest now lay.

What Constitutes Success

Like all other life forms us humans are born to die
And what is life about ask one other than i
For of life and it's meaning i cannot claim to know
I have so much to learn though old i do grow
There is much to learn of life i have come to realize
And to know i know little of it is not any surprise
But we learn as we live the wise one does say
And we never stop learning life is this way
I often do ask myself what is life about
When the characters of many of the successful do have on them doubt
In a World where billions of people compete for success
The laws of honesty and fairness many happily transgress
And what constitutes success why ask me anyway
I only know we are born for to die one day.

Old Jim In The Pub

In the local pub old Jim of his sexual conquests always bragging
But he never tells of how young Andy next door his wife Kate is shagging
For that to his big ego would be so deflating
And any man such a thing would not be celebrating
One of many who does not grow wiser he has only grown older
His wife who no longer loves him has given him the cold shoulder
They live under the one roof but in separate beds are sleeping
His old wife Kate for young Andy her sexual favors is keeping
Old Jim in his mid seventies with age does not mellow
He is not what one would call a happy fellow
Even single women of his age do find him uninspiring
They see nothing in him that is worth admiring
Whilst he is in the pub of his sexual conquests bragging
Young Andy next door and his wife Kate are shagging.

You Inquire Douglas Scotney

You inquire Douglas Scotney what my biggest problem might be
That seems quite a very good question to me
Perhaps the answer to it is i am addicted to penning of rhyme
And i have written a whole heap of rhyming stuff over a period of time

And most people i do know and who think they know me well
Do not know i am one who pens reams of doggerel
And since their interests in life are quite different to mine
They would not be interested on what i do and this suits me fine

In good health on the doorstep of seventy and free of physical pain
I am not one about life who ought to complain
And good health as is known is one of the greatest gifts of all
And why should i worry when my biggest worry is small

As a writer Douglas i am sure you would know famous and wealthy writers are few
Though your answer to this may be tell us what is new
And that you and i have one thing in common does seem true to say
With words we are fellows who do love to play.

Noreen Hannon

A young woman who was born with the inner glow
Her friends and admirers in numbers did grow
Time that rusts iron was not to become her foe
That she was to grow old for her not to be so

Noreen Hannon a beautiful young nurse from Duhallow on the right side of time
Her life in the cruelest and foulest way taken from her in her physical prime
In Sydney from her home in distance far away
Good memories of her remain living today

With wavy brown hair and a wonderful smile
A young Duhallow beauty free of conceit and guile
Her gift of life cruelly taken from her by one she never knew
Real bad people like he is thankfully are of the few

In robbing the beautiful ill fated Noreen of her gift of life
He robbed her of her chance of having children or becoming anyone's wife
An innocent victim of the foulest crime of hate
She surely was worthy of a far better fate

Noreen Hannon has been deceased for many years
Good memories of her have outlived the farewell tears
In her case the good do die young is only too true
But a far better ending should have been her due.

If You Wish To Convert People

If you wish to convert people to your way of thinking and you are preaching to the converted you are wasting your time
It is like preaching about rhyming poetry to those who love rhyme
Many seeking converts to their cause are preaching to the converted every day
Though on getting new converts they are going about it in the wrong way
If you can convert a non believer on your way of thinking to believe
Then you are one of the few something great who does achieve
For to change one's mindset to your way of thinking is so hard indeed
It is something that the very most persuasive at could hope to succeed
On preaching to the converted there is no challenge in that
Though every encore is known for to make the ego grow fat
Though you may feel that praise and admiration is only your due
Speaking to the converted will not win any new converts for you
If you wish to convert people to your way of thinking to the converted why preach
Since to them you do not have anything for to teach.

The Old Man Today

The old man today was young years ago
Time that ages everyone has become his foe
With gray hairs on his balding head the years on him show
In his young years a champion athlete now his fastest pace slow
A widower in his late seventies his wife dead for five years
Her passing from life did reduce him to tears
Together they raised three daughters of grandchildren he has ten
The grandads of today in the past were young men
It is a young person's World it does seem this way
But the young of the present will be old one day
I often see him out walking in the park or the street
And he always says hello to me when we meet
The passing of time has left him walking slow
The years on the best of them eventually show.

Racism To It Does Not Have

Racism to it does not have a gender, creed or race
Or the color of your eyes or the color of your face
The wise words of a wise one i do recall
The one who is racist to one race is racist to all
Of stories of hate crimes that have their sources in racism too often we read of and hear
Racism is born of ignorance and based on fear
Of those who are different it does seem sad to say
That some people in life in their thoughts lose their way
In their thinking and opinions they do seem rather small
Their idea of a fair go does not include a fair go for all
Non racist people those who are different to them from their group do not exclude
And to anyone of a different color to them they are never rude
Racism to it does not have a gender, creed or race
Or the color of your eyes or the color of your face.

On Kayla O' Dwyer's Song 'You Do Not Know'

Don't worry about him Kayla he is not worth your tears
Though the grief of lost love it can linger for years
Over time lost love's heartache does lessen by the day
And life does go on it does work in this way
You are a beautiful young woman talented and bright
A musician and singer songwriter full of inspiration's light
The love of some young men like a flickering flame
Though having said this not all men are the same
In a Human World where men still seem to rule
Life is not always easy and sometimes love's ways can be cruel
I know of sad stories of love forsaken old dears
Who grieve for lost love over decades of years
When you sing 'You Do Not Know' Kayla how very right you are
For stories of love's disappointments one need not travel far.