On The Wrong Side Of The Social Divide

There are millions of people of success without hope
Who on poverty line incomes are struggling to cope
For to feed and clothe their families the financially down
Of the poorer suburbs of every big city and town
Far too many people in Countries Worldwide
Who are on the wrong side of the social divide
The working poor finding it tough on poor pay
And the unemployed struggling on from day to day
That poverty is relative is not saying what is new
But it is sad to think that the majority of the wealth of the World is owned by the privileged few
That for one to win big so many have to lose does seem sad to me
But this is how it is and how it always will be
It is tough on the wrong side of the social divide
For the poorest of the poor in Countries Worldwide.

It Is Early Spring In Ireland

It is early Spring in Ireland but the sky looking gray
It has rained overnight and will rain more today
And the cattle in farmyard sheds bellowing for silage or hay
Many days from the calendar Spring to the true Spring of May

The wind from the mountains blow with a cold chill
And brown flood water is flowing bank high in every stream and rill
Flowing to the big rivers to the far ocean shore
Nature and her ways will live forever more

It is early March in Ireland and birds do not sing
And it feels more like Winter than the calendar Spring
No leaf buds on the bare deciduous trees when cold March winds does blow
And few flowers in the old fields and grass does not grow

The weather is akin to Winter indeed
And the barn swallows not yet home from far Lands to breed
But every day nearer to April and May
Time brings with it change as the wise one does say

The mountains half cloaked in the gray fogs of rain
And brown storm water flowing swiftly in every field drain
The rain drizzling down from the sunless sky of gray
It is more like Winter than early Spring in Ireland today.

Home Is Where Your Heart Is

Home is where your heart is only true to say
And home to you now from your first home in distance is far away
And in home to you now you hope for to stay
For as long as you live till your last night and day
For your first hometown you have shed your last tears
And you have not been back there for decades of years
Where once you were looked on as one of their own
By many today there you would not be known
You may never return to your first hometown again
And only fading memories with you does remain
Of the long gone years and of the what used to be
And the friends of your younger years you may never again see
Home is where your heart is remains ever true
And where you now live it is home to you.

Few Things Stay The Same

Change for the better as some like to say
But others they do not see it in this way
Since for change to occur old ways have to die
And that change is only a disappointment to some is not a lie
Of the praises of change those who love change do sing
But cultural and social change to many can be a disappointing thing
I too am conservative in my own way
Since i yearn for the what was of the bygone day
Like the ways of the Irish Travelers when i was a boy
Seeing them in their horse drawn vans was a source of joy
At the cross roads at night they drank, sung and danced and music played
And now even the memories of what was beginning to fade
The increase in motorized vehicles forced them off of the roads which seemed quite a shame
They became victims of change but then few things stay the same.

It Is One Of Those Days

It is one of those days that your thoughts are quite scattered
And with too much on your mind you feel mentally battered
On any one train of thought for long you cannot keep concentration
Like trying to listen to a radio program with many an intermingling station
Too many thoughts at one time has your mind overcrowded
And your overworked brain is mentally clouded
Worry makes you stressed and stress leaves you unhealthy
The one without stress in peace of mind is wealthy
Too much on your mind and feeling deflated
Your many small worries leaves you irritated
Your sad looking face is an advert for sorrow
And for you there may not be a happier tomorrow
Of too many things at one time you are thinking
And this leaves you feeling deflated with your confidence shrinking.

One Of The Shy Boys Of The Primary School

Far north of this countryside near the City of Warrnambool
In Millstreet Town i was a pupil in the Boys Primary School
The to be famous rally driver Billy Coleman was a pupil there then
Sometimes shy young fellow grow into brave young men

Years later as a rally driver he was Ireland's best
And was never found to be wanting when put to the test
Twice Circuit of Ireland champion he became a hero to many a car rallying fan
Today in retirement he remains a legendary man

Beyond the green borders of Duhallow his fame traveled far
The once shy schoolboy who won fame driving in a rallying car
Always humble in victory and gracious in defeat
In his rallying prime years in Europe always the one to beat

We all have our lives journeys is how it seems to be
To be a champion rally driver was Billy's life destiny
And mine was to travel far south of Claraghatlea in view of high Claramore
Thirty years since i last see Hibernia's shore.

One of the shy boys of the Primary School of the fifties in Millstreet Town
Who would believe Billy Coleman then would drive into rallying renown
That he would be an elite rally driver that many would admire
The quiet boy was one destined for others to inspire.

A February Day In The Moyne Shire

A blustery wind blowing uphill from the bay
The rain falls in a light drizzle in the Moyne Shire today
And yet the weather temperature at a pleasant twenty degrees
And blossoms of many shades on the Summer flower bearing trees
But the paddocks of the coastal Moyne brown and dry and bone dry every drain
And the countryside in need of more water than light drizzling rain
The sun from time to time peeps from behind the gray clouds of the sky
And showers of light rain makes little impression on ground that is quite dry
Yesterday was warm, windy and sunny the weather acting strange
But then we are in the age of Climate Change
With March and the calendar Autumn to the Moyne Shire quite near
The weather can change quickly at this time of year
A magpie is warbling on a black wattle tree
And carrying in the wind the song of the pee wee.

I Sing Of

I sing of the stream that babbles on it's way
Downhill to the river by night and by day
A journey that ends at the far ocean shore
The sound of it's babble is forever more

I sing of the birds the feathered minstrels of song
Some of them by their voices one never get wrong
Like us individuals in their own way
So nice for to hear and see them every day

I sing of the wild animals i sometimes see
The gray kangaroo and the koala on a manna gum tree
I recognize them by sight but little about them i do know
And my wonderment at their ways only seems to grow

I sing of the trees and the bushes and flowers
Gleaming in their rain speckled petals in the sun after showers
There is beauty in Nature at all times of year
A beauty that to us at all times is near.

Of people and places my songs i have sung
The poor and the wealthy the old and the young
I sing of war and suffering and of inner strife
And i sing of love and the joys of life.

Jerome Brosnan

The life in us as we do age becomes like a flickering ember
And life's a journey that does end for all of us a last December
The Reaper of lives from all of us the gift of live eventually does sever
Jerome Brosnan quite a decent man is home in Kanturk forever

He loved his wife the late Kitty and his children a man like him inspiring
The Jerome Brosnans of the World are people worth admiring
The one who is at peace with self is at peace with all others
And does realize us human beings are all sisters and brothers

He had his good days and his bad in life there is joy and sorrow
And it is sad to think for him that there is no tomorrow
He always seemed calm and relaxed and never in a hurry
Yet for anyone life does not go by without some little worry

In his early eighties one of life who made the most of living
He was a good and honest man in his ways kind and giving
The farewell bell has rung for him his life's journey has ended
But Jerome will be remembered by all he has befriended

Jerome Brosnan lived an honorable life one who believed in sharing
He truly was a gentleman hard working, kind and caring
He will be missed in Macroom and Millstreet and he rests at home in Kanturk in Duhallow
One who left a legacy of good example for all others for to follow.

Of A Life After Bodily Death

Our childhood years and our teenage years pass quickly as well as our lives prime
And eventually we all become victims of time
The lives journeys we are all on for all come to an end
Since we are born as mortals why otherwise pretend

Of a life for the soul after bodily death it is not for me to say
You will not find the answer to this where dead people lay
In the cemeteries of the World the silence is profound
And the answer to life after death in such places not to be found

Of those who believe in a life after bodily death there are quite a few
They are quite entitled on this to their point of view
But we only believe on what we want to believe in happens to be true
And what you want to believe in is all up to you

Of a life after bodily death i am not arrogant enough to say the answer i do know
And on this my wonder it only does grow
I only know for a fact that my body will die
And as is said of fact it does never lie.

Here In The Coastal Countryside

Here in the coastal countryside by Warrnambool
Far south of Millstreet Town where i went to school
Time has left me looking older and gray
One who has known of a far better physical day
Still i feel happy in this beautiful place
Where To many mine is a stranger's face
Though of some quite nice people of i am coming to know
Who happen to be blessed of the inner glow
Claraghatlea my first home-place today lives in me
In my flights of fancy the old fields i see
And see the brown trout in the clear pools of the rill
Flowing from high Claramore by Clara Hill
In fields where i grew to love Nature when i was a boy
And learning of her ways today i enjoy
Here in the home-place of koala and gray kangaroo
And long billed corella and yellow tailed black cockatoo.

To Fail Never Easy

To fail never easy it always is tough
And though you tried your best your best not good enough
And though by one better than you this time you were beat
It is hard to smile in the face of defeat

The fans of the winner are cheering loud
And the broad smile of the victor tells of one who is proud
But the honorable person does lose with grace
And manage a smile on a disappointed face

The praises of the winner the fans well may sing
But winning in itself is not everything
In every material and sporting winner some flaws one can see
They are all not everyone does make them out to be

Though with my thinking on this many would disagree
The kind and compassionate are winners to me
On the helping of others they sow karma's good seed
The only form of success in life of they are in need

To fail never easy it always is tough
But to have given it your best for you ought to be good enough
And though losing is a thing anyone does not choose
For one for to win others have to lose.

Mother Earth Is The One

So little i know of Nature's ways i have come to realize
But this in itself is not any surprise
Her secrets from us she has well hidden away
Though of her we do learn something new every day
Her Mother Earth food for us to eat does grow
Yet respect to her many of us does not show
In our disrespect to her the seeds of our own bad karma we sow
What we do to Nature we do to our own selves this much we do know
For mining and drilling for Mother Earth's resources there is a price to pay
And more natural habitat being cleared for development every day
Many species of wildlife are becoming rarer which does seem a sad thing
The children of the future may not hear birdsong in the Spring
Mother Earth is the one who does feed me and you
And what we do to her to our own selves we do.

For All Of Us Life's Journey End

For all of us life's journey end in a dark hole in the ground
Or your last remains cremated and your ashes spread upon your favorite ground
Whatever you achieve in life for you there is an end
Those known to be great are mere mortals why otherwise pretend

The longest lived human life in time is not that long a span
On average a few more years for a woman than it is for a man
A minority of human beings live for ninety years or more
The Reaper of lives enters your home without knocking on your door

Does the soul live when the body dies is not for me to say
Many do believe in a paradise they call heaven far away
Millions of miles from Planet Earth somewhere beyond the sky
Where good humans souls post bodily death with wings to do fly

I am not a religious sort of a man to a god i do not pray
Only know for everyone of us there is a last night and day
I only believe in Nature she is the only god to me
And everywhere i turn to look her beauty i do see.

It Has Been Some Three Decades Of Years

It has been some three decades of years since i last saw Duhallow
I thought i might return in Spring like the migratory barn swallow
But many Springs have come and gone since i last heard the male pheasants crowing
In rushy fields far north of here where bright waters in waterways are flowing
The fading memories of the what used to be now like a flickering ember
We only can live in the now and the past only remember
But like everyone else of my life's journey i too have many a story
In fancy i often hear the robin sing when May is in her bloom and glory
And hawthorns cloaked in their blooms of white resplendent in their great beauty
To write of Nature at her best i truly feel it is my duty
On a cold and wet December day i last saw the fields of Duhallow
On a bus bound for the migrant boat i had my dreams for to follow
And we only can live in the now as the past it has gone forever
But as is said of the old ties they can be very hard to sever.

It Stirs The Cockles Of The Heart

It stirs the cockles of the heart and echoes in the ceiling
The sound of laughter in the room is such a joyful feeling
It surely beats discussing politics and the hereafter
It is a source of happiness this marvelous gift of laughter
As a healer of mental woes it is quite underrated
As a source that leads to happiness it ought to be celebrated
Those who do not find it hard to laugh recover quickly from sorrow
The one who makes you laugh today you will not have forgotten by tomorrow
Those who take themselves too seriously you do not wish to remember
They do not seem to realize that for every human being there is a last December
Laugh and the World laughs with you as a truism remaining
Those who do laugh quite regularly every day new friends are gaining
It stirs the cockles of the heart and echoes in the ceiling
The sound of laughter in the room is such a joyful feeling.

Child Of The Lesser God

Her mum and dad behind prison bars one of the city's down-trod
She walks the street in shabby clothes child of the lesser god
A child prostitute at thirteen years her only means to stay alive
Some of her sort to adulthood are not known to survive
She only knows of poverty as many do due to birth circumstance
Like many of her sort in life of success she stands little chance
She has no one to comfort her when she feels moved to tears
Without love on the loveless street a girl of thirteen years
Her future is not looking good at least this is how it does seem
The way she is obliged to live cannot help her self esteem
Many of her older clients take advantage of her and for sex refuse to pay
It is sad to think that one of her age has to live in this way
There is a god for the wealthy and a god for the down-trod
She walks the street in tattered clothes child of the lesser god.

As I Do Well Remember

Though i had known of better days i did have dreams to follow
It was my yearn for adventure that lured me from Duhallow
To this great southern Country of many different races
Of different Countries of the World and many different places

A vast Country that for it's size is not overpopulated
It's first people of the Dreamtime in history celebrated
Land of the wombat and kangaroo and eucalyptus, waratah and wattle
Fauna and flora of the southern Land long before Europeans brought their sheep and cattle

I left Duhallow years ago as i do well remember
When the Boggeraghs were in their hats of snow on a cold day in December
The cold wind howled in the naked trees light rain from the gray clouds falling
Just a memory of the past to most not worth recalling

When Nature's creatures call aloud there always is a reason
In bare deserted fields the rooks were cawing for them a hungry Season
The cattle in the farmyard sheds for hay or silage did bellow
Old memories linger of the past in the aging migrant fellow

When i left Duhallow years ago swollen streams and rivers bank high flowing
And from the snow hatted Boggeragh Hills the wintry winds were blowing
I left Millstreet Town on the Rosslare bus on that bleak evening in December
Rain drizzling from the darkening sky as i do well remember.

Irish John

He will never more wear the shamrock on St Patrick's Day
Or sing songs of his old homeland from here far away
Far south of his first hometown his last remains lay
Irish John was one who laughed at life of him one can say
A great grandfather predeceased by his wife Linda by a few years
The passing of Irish John did not go without tears
Drunk or sober the same always happy and bright
He is missed from the pub on a Saturday night
A man who loved dancing and music and song
Always happy to join in the pub sing along
One who lived in the now never yearned for the past
On his eighty fifth year of life he breathed his last
One who could laugh at himself he never put anyone down
He rests in peace far south of his first hometown.

Since You Do Not like Others To Laugh At You

Since you do not like others to laugh at you
Laugh with but not at is what you should do
Having your laughs at someone else's expense
Is not adult behavior or common sense
Your way of having fun may impress your mates in the pub
Since they too are members of the laughing at club
Like you on making fun of others they see as okay
Bullies as they age do not change in any way
On live and let live the point you do miss
With your sort of person ignorance is bliss
When your mates laugh at others with them you laugh along
On having your fun at the expense of others you do not see any wrong
Live and let live as the wise one does say
Seems a pity you and your mates do not see it this way.

Stories Like Gina's

It does seem for Gina luck is not on her side
Her hens are not laying and her rooster has died
And sadder for Gina her far younger ex partner the virile young Ted
Is with one sexier and younger than she is now sharing a bed

Single and childless in her late fifties her better days in the past
Her brief fling with young Ted good whilst it did last
The news of his unfaithfulness to her painful to receive
And though she did love him she asked him to leave

For her it has not been a good week her lover from her gone
And though sad and disappointed life for her will go on
Of late her hens have not been laying her prize rooster is dead
Though better days of her may well be ahead

She can buy another rooster and her hens will lay again
And the ache of lost love with her will not remain
For every up in life there can be a down
And stories like Gina's belong to every town.

The Past Has Gone

The past has gone the future is ahead though today is all that does matter
And most in time do show their age and grow a little fatter
We learn as we live it is said though this may be worth debating
For some learn little if anything at all a fact that is worth stating
Most people learn as they live but there is always an exception
Some are not very good at all when it comes to self reflection
Why this should be not for me to say since others than me do know better
There is a difference between a farm dog and a pointer or a setter
That we should learn from life as we live ought to go without saying
But i am one who ought not to be talking since with rhyme words i keep on playing
When some friends of mine out of concern for me tell me i ought to give it away
Since for it i never receive any money as a reward for doing it in pay
The now is what matters since the past is behind us and the future ahead
And at the stroke of midnight a new day born and today will be dead.

John Van Heurck

It never will be out of date or never out of fashion
In most humans there is the need for this thing known as passion
His passion is for tin whistling it does mean so much to him
For the effort he puts in to it none i know of none to outdo him

To travel hundreds of kilometers to a whistling session to him not any worry
To make it home from Kathy Baulch's before nightfall he does have to hurry
A return journey of six hundred kilometers desire is such a strong feeling
This is something that most people would not find in any way appealing

One who does not feel overconfident a trait in him worth admiring
In a human world where many feel arrogant and egotistical i do find this inspiring
Far too many in the world today who are anything but humble
With even the least bit of success their egos start to rumble

To travel far as he does to most would be too tall an order
But on his passion for tin whistling he does not place a border
To him playing music is more than fun it is a strong devotion
One who is humble in his ways and not into self promotion.

One Of Few Words

He is one of few words he never speaks loud
The only silent one in the noisy crowd
Yet it is true that the person with little to say
Is one who does learn from life every day

Non patriotic i have never seen him wave the national flag
Nor of self he is one who ever does brag
In word or in deed he never puts anyone down
He is one of the kindest on his side of the town

He is not a member of any sporting or social club
And he is seldom seen in the local pub
Yet one willing to help those of helping in need
And for his future good karma he plants the good seed

A tribe-less young man his kind often are
He does not drive around in a fancy car
His own praises you do never hear him sing
Just a kind hearted fellow who does his own thing

The life of a party he may never be
But he is a credit to his kin and his family
Since he is willing to help anyone of helping in need
The quiet man of the crowd is a good man indeed.

Your Dog's Friendship

Human friendships are conditional why even pretend
Your dog is your only unconditional friend
For a few pats, a few words of kindness and a good feed every day
For as long as she or he lives your dog as your friend will stay
Stories of bravery of dogs we do read of and of hear
In the protection of his or her master the loyal dog shows no fear
The number one companion animal of people Worldwide
In protecting their human family many brave dogs have died
That the majority of human loves are conditional no need to wonder why
But conditions on loyalty and love to dogs does not apply
Forsaken by your spouse, partner or children but your dog true to you will remain
Your dog does not judge you for your lack of success or material gain
Your dog's loyalty and love for you over time only does grow
And a truer friend of her or him of you will never know.

She Was Quite A Beauty

She was quite a beauty five decades ago
Before time that ages everything became her foe
The town's number one beauty in her physical prime
Though this is going back some five decades in time
Though she did have a few loves in her life
She never had children or was never any man's wife
The love of her life died in a car accident at twenty five
For to grow old with her he did not survive
But who comes or who goes life does go on
Well into her seventies she retains the memories of happier times long gone
In her prime years one of rare beauty to behold
But physical beauty does fade as women grow old
She never had children or was never anyone's wife
Since at a young age she lost the great love of her life.

How Boring We Would Be

So few ever see life in a similar way
We are very different in truth one can say
Then how boring we would be for want of a better name
If in our thinking and ways we were close to the same
Since you in your thinking are quite different to me
This should not make us foes would you not agree
That this does not make one of us right and one of us wrong
If to different political views we do belong
That in some of our ways we are different happens to be true
Though in other ways i am quite similar to you
Though your views on many things different to mine
You have your opinions and this suits me fine
How boring we would be for want of a better name
If in our ways and our thinking we all were the same.

Widening By The Day

The gap between the wealthy and poor is widening by the day
And this in itself seems a sad thing to say
The majority of the wealth of the World controlled by the super wealthy few
Though this to you surely is not anything new

In a Human World where millions of people are living in extreme poverty
That some are so wealthy seems all wrong to me
Yet these are the people so many look up to and admire
Since to be like them they have a burning desire

So many poor people Worldwide are doing it tough
Millions are hungry, homeless and stateless, living and sleeping rough
Whilst many are without food and shelter as victims of the social divide
On the so called achievements of the super wealthy i cannot see any reason for pride

To be hungry and homeless and stateless is something anyone does not choose
In a Human World where for one to win big so many have to lose
This ever widening social gap does seem all wrong to me
For millions of poor people how sad life must be.

Mallow Ann

Her journey in life from Mallow took her far away
In Richmond in Melbourne by the Yarra she lived her last night and day
A widow in her nineteies she was married to an Australian man
Quite a likable person the beautiful Ann
Of a beautiful person the memories with me remain
One that i will never see in the flesh again
She used to talk of where into a young woman she did grow
The Town in north Cork where the Blackwater flow
So much good in her lifetime Ann of Mallow did do
She worked as a nurse in London when the bombs were falling there in World War Two
A woman who had been through her own earthly hell
Of the horrors of war she had many stories to tell
A few years ago sadly she passed away
And at peace forever far from Mallow she does lay.

The Old Traveler Jim

His traveling days over the man from elsewhere
Sixty years ago he went to see life in the big World out there
Without the responsibility of children or wife
He is one who enjoyed the nomadic style of life
But six decades of traveling enough for the old traveler Jim
Age, hard work and traveling has taken most of the energy from him
He is happy to live in the old country town
Of south west Victoria known as Camperdown
Tall and gray haired in his early eighties a regular sight
In his local pub on a Saturday night
He has worked in many a town been through many a countryside
In a life of adventure he has traveled far and wide
From his first home he is aging far away
In Camperdown he will live his last night and day.

A February Evening In Warrnambool

The sun is not out the weather quite cool
On a February evening in Summer in windy Warrnambool
Yet the weather temperature in the pleasant low twenty degrees
And a freshening coolness in the sea breeze
Blowing in Lake Park Pertobe from Lady Bay
It is much nicer weather to be out of doors today
Than yesterday with the temperatures in the low forties so warm and dry
With the sun blazing bright in a clear sunny sky
In these early years of the twenty first century the weather acting strange
One reason for this would have to be Climate Change
For our bad environmental practices some price we must pay
On mood swings in weather temperatures from day to day
Yesterday it was in the low forties today it is twenty degrees
With a pleasant freshening coolness in the coastal breeze.

Duhallow's Last Legend Of Poetry And Song

To an old school of literature he did belong
Duhallow's last legend of poetry and song
With words he was one who surely had a way
Some of his songs and poems are sung and recited today

In the nineteen fifties when i was a schoolboy
Kilcorney's John Twomey to so many people brought joy
Then the bard was in his physical prime
But this is going back many Seasons in time

The wanderlust in him he went to live far away
From Ivale in Kilcorney but i cannot say
If he is in the World of the living today
Only know he was one with words who did know how to play

John Twomey left Duhallow many decades ago
And doubtless since then time would have become his foe
his poems and his songs to many a source of joy
In the nineteen fifties when i was a schoolboy.

Those Who Feel They Are Irreplaceable

Those who feel that they are irreplaceable obviously do forget
That for them there too will be a last sunset
And when the last breath from their bodies has gone
Life in the World without them will go on

Many who thought they were irreplaceable are dead
But that everyone is replaceable in truth can be said
From the Reaper of lives there is nowhere to hide
The highest achievers in human history have died

The longest lived human life in time not long
And age as we know it does weaken the strong
The lives of the monarch, the president and the billionaire
The one who has the scythe of death does not spare

For all of us there is this last night and day
But everyone is replaceable despite what some think or say
You may think you are special but life in the World will go on
When the last breath of air from your body has gone.

A Warm February Day In Illowa

The day is warm and sunny with warmth in the breeze
And the warm air full of the buzzing of bush flies and bees
White butterflies dancing around the sunlit trees
And a weather forecast high for the day of over thirty degrees
In the sunny blue sky cannot see any gray
And wafting in the breeze the sweet aroma of hay
With the sun on their dark wings the speedsters of the sky
In pursuit of flying insects the welcome swallows fly
Above the undulating paddocks from the February sun brown
Of Illowa five kilometers by road from Koroit Town
One day cool another quite warm the weather quite strange
This has to be the symptoms of Climate Change
In Victoria Statewide a total fire ban day
In the sunny blue sky i cannot see any gray.

For My Rhymes

For my rhymes i do not expect or receive any pay
And yet i am one who writes rhymes every day
And to those who advise me to give rhyming away
We all have our addictions to them i do say
And though my worth as a rhymer i have reason to doubt
No shortage of things for to write rhymes about
To nineteen seventy three this is going back in time
I wrote my first verse when in my life's prime
There has been many Seasons and changes since then
And the babies at that time now middle aged women and men
To write rhyme is not hard you can have this from me
And many with such an assumption would only agree
And the fact is i enjoy rhyming and fact never lie
And i hope to be doing it till the day i do die.

Tower Hill Home To

Tower Hill home to koala, emu, wallaby and gray kangaroo
And the big dark brown parrot known as yellow tailed black cockatoo
Where on cavities on the cliff face long billed corellas their young do raise
In a place with strong links to the Dreamtime of long by gone days
Where on long gone Summer evenings in the shade of the trees
The Gundijtmara people had their corroborees
The bones of the long deceased tribal elders in unmarked do lay
And no sound of a didgeridoo in Tower Hill today
In Tower Hill in the valley with cliffs all around
To the Gundijtmara people it is sacred ground
Flocks of wild duck on the lake there at all times of year
Where the bugling songs of the black swans one often does hear
A valley that has inspired song, story and rhyme
With strong links to the people of the Dreaming time
A valley that has survived the ravages of drought and of fire
In Victoria's south west in the coastal Moyne Shire.

Rhyme Used To Be Quite Popular

You do not have to tell me it is not hard to pen rhyme
Since people have been doing it over centuries of time
Rhyme is not poetry the twenty first century literary critics say
And the literary minded respect to their opinions do pay
Suppose rhyme like most things it did have it's day
And that few things in time last it does seem this way
And in literature the passing of time change with it has brought about
Blank verse it has become the in thing and rhyme it is out
Few things in life ever do seem to last
Even in literature the changes keep happening fast
The fact is time brings with it changes and fact never lie
And like people the in thing of today it will die
Rhyme used to be quite popular many decades ago
And that it could have a rebirth well may be so.

Rathduane's Big Con Dineen

The days of the tug of war or the rope pull in Ireland may be in the long gone
But old memories die hard they seem to linger on
At carnivals or festivals the rope pull was always the highlight of the day
Good memories of what was till death with us will stay


I remember the rope pull in the carnival in Millstreet
Where the best in Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra to test their strength against each other did compete
Ballydaly a champion rope pulling team had their anchor man in Big Con Dineen
A stronger individual than he was i have never seen

With strong men struggling to hold their ground in the Town Park of Millstreet
Ballydaly's anchor man Big Con Dineen held firm on his feet
A barrel chested broad shouldered giant of a man he refused to give in
One reason that Ballydaly at tug of war so many trophies did win

A humble man who always left it to others his praises to sing
Quite famous in Cork and Kerry when rope pulling was an in thing
For his natural strength Rathduane's Big Con Dineen was one who became widely known
And the people of Ballydaly were proud to claim him for their own

With him as the rope anchor to win the money on Ballydaly was on
For he was as strong as two strong men the colossus Con
Till time that rusts iron too became his foe
The mighty man Rathduane's Big Con Dineen he died years ago.

It Does Not Matter How Good

It does not matter how good a person that you are
Or if to find your equal one would need to travel far
There will be some of you who will not have kind things to say
Some do like to be critical since this is their way
In your acts of compassion you may win the approval of the majority but you will not win them all
Since some people in their ways are so very small
To these people those who are compassionate are quite weak of mind
They see it as a flaw to be caring and kind
Their idea of a fair go to everyone does not apply
In their words of such to some they do deny
To them the kind and caring are not truly blessed
Since they help the poor and the homeless and the dispossessed
And though you may be a good person kind in every way
There are some of you who do not have nice things to say.

Though You Are Quite Famous

Though you are quite famous and to many known
Your heritage you never ought to disown
And to your old friends as a friend do remain
And try to stay humble despite your Worldly gain
Some people with success get carried away
With their friends when they were not well known as friends they do not stay
One can say of them humility in them is dead
This is what happens when success does go to the head
Success changes most people in truth one can say
This is how it is and will always be this way
An over inflated ego one of the side effects of fame
It is hard to stay humble when yours has become a celebrated name
The famous and wealthy down to earth are few
And this is not saying anything that is new.

Nature Is The Best Teacher

Nature is the best teacher that i have ever had
I have been learning from her since i was a young lad
In my many walks in old fields far away
And of her i do learn something new every day
And though my wonder of her only does seem to grow
So little of her ways i can claim to know
Yet we never stop learning as the wise one does say
And we learn as we live something new every day
Good memories of what was with me does remain
In Summer baby amphibians of the dark pools of the drain
Tadpoles with long tails and tiny legs from their tiny bodies sticking out
The frogs of the future were wriggling about
One of my first lessons of Nature though my knowledge of her i do doubt
I am still learning from her every day in this Land of the south.

Known As A Peasant Poet

The greatest Nature poet of the English language to many was John Clare
His poems on birds and animals with the best can compare
In Helpston his home Village he grew to love Nature as a child
But sadly in his life lady luck on him never smiled

Some poets in their poems claim Nature's ways to be a mystery
But John Clare wrote on Nature's creatures in their reality
Of Nature's creatures he was one who knew much about
He once got so close to a singing cuckoo that he could see into it's mouth

His poems on animals and birds are among the best
The Landrail, The Badger, The Pettichap and The Thrush's Nest
And his poems on insects such as the ladybird known as Clock A Clay
A literary gem on Nature that is enjoyed by lovers of Nature poetry today

A renowned poet of the English language of the nineteenth century
John Clare died in the Northampton Asylum in extreme poverty
Known as a peasant poet but literary gems he did create
And today his name does live on as a poetic great.

Old Jim The Bush Poet

Among the lovers of bush poetry one worthy of note
Many love him for his poems old Jim the bush poet
At least five decades beyond his life's prime
Still he can spin a good yarn in rhyme
The fruits of his talents Jim is always willing to share
In an age when good poets like he is are becoming rare
Stories of bush nature and bush people in his poems he does tell
He is one who writes often as well as one who writes well
An octogenarian great grandfather he lives with Kate his aged wife
For sixty years she has been his soulmate and the love of his life
She will tell you that there is no greater poet than her Jim
She does not hide the fact that she feels quite proud of him
They love him for his poems the fans of old Jim the bush poet
And they claim he is one worthy of far greater literary note.

In Sliabh Luachra Today

The Paps of Shrone hidden in the gray fogs of rain
And storm water flowing in every field drain
The sun will not shine through the low clouds of gray
It is cold, windy and raining in Sliabh Luachra today
The black faced horned sheep are down on the high fields from the hill
And brown flood water flowing bank high in the rain swollen rill
The cattle in the farmyard sheds are bellowing for silage or hay
At least two months before grass growth in truth one can say
In the cold, windy and wet mornings songbirds one does not hear
In Sliabh Luachra in February a cold and wet time of year
And though the calendar Spring of March in time not far away
For nicer and warmer weather one might have to wait for May
The Paps of Shrone hidden in the fog rains of gray
It is cold, windy and raining in Sliabh Luachra today.

Ballydaly's Mary Flaherty

For Ballydaly's Mary Flaherty in Killarney's Aghadoe Heights a family birthday party
For one in her eighty second year of life she looks attractive, hale and hearty
A nice person in every way not one of the conceited
And on her birthday she is one well worthy of being feted
Ballydaly's finest on her day she still looks quite attractive
In mind and body she feels young she keeps healthy and active
Photos of her belie her age she does look well and glowing
Of Mary one can truly say her years she is not showing
That some women look old in their thirties does seem beyond explaining
And Mary Flaherty in her eighties most of her beauty is retaining
That the camera never lies is true this woman is inspiring
In truth her sort are in the few she is one worth admiring
A nice person in every way down to earth and unassuming
Like an Autumn rose that does not fade in her eighties she is blooming.

Seems A Shame

It can be said of Donald J Trump he is no wilting flower
Seems a shame that one wealthy arrogant human being should command such great power
To back in the dark ages his sort of thinking belong
Many will tell you his elevation to his Country's top job is democracy gone wrong
Democracy on some occasions has been known for to fail
If i said some of the things Donald J Trump has said about people i would be locked up in jail
Or are we in an age when rudeness from so called great leaders is an acceptable thing
The praises of the wealthy narcissistic egotistical far too many willing to sing
In a Human World where xenophobia, sexism, homophobia and racism is becoming rife
Far too many in positions of power are showing only disrespect for the sacredness of human life
Patriotism, culture and fear of difference as well as national pride
And culture and religion sadly nowadays people only divide
And i am not alone in my thinking when i say i struggle to understand
How a badly flawed person such as Donald J Trump could be democratically elected as the President of such a great Land.

Fear

Of extreme acts of bravery we often read of and hear
But is there one living who is free of all fear
And though the praises of those who are brave the masses do sing
For our very survival fear is a necessary thing

Some fear helps us to keep living from day to day
Without it we would not survive long in truth one can say
Those who live without fear usually do not live long
Though they may be honored in story and song

Most students of human behavior believe that fear to the ego is tied
That for the ego to live it needs some fear on it's side
This does ring of truth would you not agree
At least anyhow it surely does to me

Those without fear are of the few
And this is not saying anything that is new
A necessity of life one does need to survive
It is good to be fearful and healthy and alive.

When The Fat Lady Sing

The sound of applause is a beautiful thing
There is joy in the air when the when the fat lady sing
Where she entertain happiness does abound
Since she brings it with her and shares it around

Where she entertain in the lounge of the pub
Or the entertainment room of the sports club
Her beautiful voice so melodious and clear
To listen to always a joy for to hear

With long dark wavy hair to her shoulders and a big smile on her face
In the fat lady's mind for sadness there is no space
With her infectious charming personality everyday new friends she does win
Her sort does make the World better for to live in

To the sports club on Saturday evening happiness with her she does bring
There is joy in the room when the fat lady sing
Always bright and bubbly she leads in the song
And her fans feeling happy with her sing along.

Till The Day I Do Die

I do leave the honorable title of poet
To those who feel worthy of literary note
A title that comes with high public esteem
That many lay claim to or so it does seem
A rhymer at best is the best i can be
There are not literary titles for one such as me
For forty four years i have been penning rhyme
And this is going back many Seasons in time
Back when i hoped for to become a renowned literary name
But few writers ever know of widespread literary fame
And since it is something i do without money for pay
Some advise me that i ought to give it away
But if i told them i will this would be a lie
Since i hope to be doing it till the day i do die.

I Cannot Say

I cannot say i have been there and done that
Though i did work on pipeline crews in Ballarat
And i worked on travel towers trimming tall trees
In all sorts of weather of varying degrees
Quite hard physical work that did not pay that well
Any stories of a materially successful life i do not have to tell
Males who have worked in physically demanding jobs age quickly beyond their lives prime
One can say that they look old long before their time
Since from by the northern hills i traveled far south
I have traveled a bit and by life has been knocked about
But i try to make the most of every day
And treat all others in a fair way
And try to do some good on my side of the town
And in word or in deed never put anyone down.

Captain Con Murphy Of Ballydaly

It has been ninety six years since Captain Con Murphy of Ballydaly was the first Irishman for the possession of arms to be put to death
By order of the British Government by firing squad he was robbed of his living breath
In January nineteen twenty one in Cork Military Barracks on his life's thirtieth year
One who died as he lived a brave man free of fear

For the love of his Country Captain Con gave his life
He was robbed of the gift of becoming a father or of having a wife
His father and mother and his siblings would not have wanted him to die in this way
Though he died as a true soldier under fire of him would be true to say

He was one not destined as many are for to live to grow old and gray
Though he is celebrated as a deceased war hero in the Duhallow of today
With a terrace of houses in Millstreet Town and a Monument in Ballydaly in honor of his name
Yet sadly he did pay the highest price for his enduring fame

In wars for self government through the decades many good young lives have been lost
And all things in war does come at a huge cost
Captain Con Murphy of Ballydaly was a brave and a legendary man
But sadly his life taken from him in a foul way and he did not live out his natural time span.

The Happy Go Lucky Man

I do envy him the happy go lucky man
For his future he does not have any big plan
Quite happy with his lot he make the most of everyday
If he has any small cares he just laughs them away
He is kind to his children and he loves his wife
One who works hard for a living and is content in his life
In competitive sports he does never compete
And you will never see him where the sports fans do meet
He always does have a big smile on his face
In his mind for sadness or worry there is not any space
He likes a few drinks in the pub on a Saturday night
Quite amiable by nature one who never looks for trouble or fight
He lives for the day has no great future plan
He is happy with his lot the contented man.

Of Happy People Everyone Do Wish To Know

I feel lucky in life in truth i can say
In the nice and kind people i meet every day
Though strangers to me they greet me as friend
People for to be friendly who do not need to pretend
Wherever such people are joy does abound
They carry it with them and share it around
Of happy people everyone do wish to know
Since they have been blessed of the bright inner glow
The one who is always in a surly mood
Is the one in your friends list you would not wish to include
But the one whose face is without a smile
Is one to get to know better you feel is worth your while
Wherever she or he is laughter does abound
Since they carry joy with them and share it around.

Moyjil

A beautiful evening in early February
In Moyjil overlooking the Pacific sea
To the descendants of the Dreamtime of the Jundijtmara race
Moyjil is and will always be a sacred place
Overlooking the Bluehole where the waters of the Hopkins into the Pacific does flow
Of the legends and stories of this beautiful place of few seem to know
Where Warrnambool's first people hunted and fished up to two centuries ago
That their ghosts do still live there may even be so
To earthly utopia Moyjil must be near
Where the mewing of the silver gulls and the rumbling of the ocean is all one does hear
A place of great beauty on the high ground that to many is known
Moyjil does have a quiet charm of it's own
A place that was old even in the Dreamtime
Moyjil that has inspired song, story and rhyme.

Time The Great Healer

Have you ever felt to one place you do not belong
Though your love for your first home it once was quite strong
That absence makes the heart grow fonder in you works in this way
You do not feel nostalgia for your first home place today
The past now does only hold memories for you
That time is the great healer remains ever true
Years ago you thought of your first home every day
But time from you eased the longing of for what was away
The place you were raised in from you far distant by sky
Home where you do now live to you does apply
time that rusts iron and turns hair to gray
Is also a great healer it does seem this way
You have shed your last tears for the homeland shore
And you seldom talk about home anymore.

A Known To Be A Respectable Family Man

A known to be a respectable family man the multi millionaire
Who with his family and wife in church do kneel in prayer
It is by people like him many are inspired
A pillar of his community and greatly admired

Devoted and faithful to his wife or so we are told
But all that does glitter is not always gold
The near perfect males of the World are quite few
But as human nature goes this is nothing new

In truth i have never met a living saint
And as rare as hen's teeth is the one without taint
Some people are not what we make them out to be
Those who have fooled many have also fooled me

What you see with your eyes do not always believe
In love and in money men are known to deceive
Some men their natural flaws are quite good to disguise
That some people are not what they seem i have come to realize

The wealthy and religious man that so many did laud
Out on bail for the court to face charges of fraud
And from his devoted wife another secret he did hide
That for years he was having lots of sex on the side.

Russell Thomas

In the Moyne Shire and Warrnambool to many he is known
But in Port fairy they claim Russell for their own
In his years as a teacher there many pupils to better things he has inspired
And there he is one who is greatly admired
As a retired teacher in Port Fairy a credit to the place
One can say of Russell he is aging with grace
He loves playing music many different musical instruments he can play
He plays in different bands and practices every day
One who enjoys life and never seeks the limelight or renown
The likes of Russell is a credit as well as an asset to any town
A leader of the Port Fairy community and of him one can say
That to help people he often goes out of his way
Just a kind and down to earth fellow who never seeks fame
And well known and liked by many Russell Thomas is his name.

Those Of The Lesser God

For the social outsiders the poor and the down trod
And the homeless and the refugees there is a lesser god
And though the babe born to wealthy parents and the babe born into poverty before they walk must crawl
The god for the materially privileged is not the god for all
Those who claim all people are equal are well meaning one can say
But this is not so or never was or never will be this way
Of inequality in the Human World there is not any doubt
There never is a street parade for the financially down and out
The majority of the material wealth is owned by the few
On this you well may say to me do tell us what is new
So many born into poverty of a fair go in life denied
The gods of the poor in Countries Worldwide
As they live they will die as children of the lesser god
The social outsiders the homeless the poor and the down trod.

On Steal Away

Every time i do hear the song Steal Away
I go back in time to a long gone bygone day
When i left my first home without to anyone saying goodbye
At the start of a journey far south by sea and then sky
Never more to return to Claraghatles near the Town of Millstreet
In the green countryside where the waterways meet
Too sad for to say goodbye to anyone
Something i now regret that cannot be undone
From the gray sky a cold December rain it was drizzling down
As the Rosslare bus left the Square of Millstreet Town
This is going back the years some three decades ago
And since time that rusts iron has become my foe
And i can relate to the words in the song Steal away
Since this too happened to me in truth i can say.

Mary Hickie

How are things with Mary Hickie the brighter self she does show
She is one i do remember who is blessed of the inner glow
Quite a charming woman and one free of conceit
In her a huge loss to Kerry a huge gain to Millstreet

Before she married the late Andrew Hickie Mary O' Donoghue was her birth name
In her ways kind and helpful most nurses are the same
On the Main Street of Millstreet Town she and Andrew had a hardware store
Among the nice people of the Town in the days of yore

One of Millstreet's finest in the days of old
Mary Hickie then quite beautiful to behold
Doubtless she is one who is aging well today
Since rare beauty as her's is slow to fade away

Though this is going back many Seasons in time
I remember Mary Hickie in her life's prime
But in Millstreet in Duhallow many changes since then
The babies at that time now aging women and men


The weeks go by quickly and time does tick on
And we only have memories of years now long gone
And memories of Mary Hickie today i retain
In her hardware shop on Main Street with her husband Andrew again.

From The Earth Who Does Feed Us

Many life forms are on the brink of extinction today
And that extinction is forever only true to say
Many species that once were common now rare in their range
Due to habitat destruction and climate change
To make room for development in the ever growing town
More land is being cleared and more trees are cut down
From the Mother Earth who supports us and on we depend to live
We take and we take and in return to her little give
This non stop development to satiate human greed is no source for joy
The Earth is for us humans to live on and share with other life forms and not to destroy
The World is only for us to live in and with other life forms for to share
And because of us extinction is rife and many creatures becoming endangered or rare
From the Earth who does feed us and we depend on to live
We take and we take and in return to her little give.

The Sun Shining Bright

The sun shining bright in a sky blue and gray
On what is quite near to a perfect day
The warm air full of the buzzing of bush flies and bees
And white butterflies dancing in the freshening breeze
Earthly Utopia i feel from here not far away
In the park play ground children laugh at their play
In pursuit of flying insects in the Summer sky
With the sun on their dark wings the welcome swallows fly
The beauty in nature a joy for to see
Everywhere i turn to look it is all around me
A magpie lark perched on a low branch of a tree
As he raises his wings he calls out pee wee
The day it is warm and breezy and bright
And young birds are chirping in the sunlight.

The Instigators Of Change

Since the government and bureaucracies they never question or on cast a doubt
Those who follow the leader change never bring about
By the majority they are looked on as radical and strange
But they are never followers those who strive for change
Government for the wealthy has become Worldwide
And so many due to lack of opportunity of a a fair go denied
The majority born into poverty in poverty die
A fact of human life and fact never lie
The instigators of change speak out against governments that promote material greed
And of more of their sort the Human World is in need
That the rags to riches stories are not many is only true to say
Circumstance of birth for most defines their future humanity works in this way
And by the majority they are looked on as radical and strange
The people with the courage to instigate change.

In Your Actions Or Opinions

As long as in your actions or opinions you do not harm anyone
Your mum and dad in you have raised a good daughter or son
And though the impressionable masses out there your praises may never sing
As is said of success it can be a relative thing
In this the age of self promotion you do not seem to fit in
Since you are one of those who do not compete for to win
To any form of greatness you do not aspire
You are not the sort nowadays that many would admire
You do not have a group that you to do ascribe
In a tribal town one without a tribe
Your interests in life not mainstream one can say
Not influenced by others you live in your own way
Yet in your actions or opinions you never harm anyone
Your mum and dad in you raised a good daughter or son.

The God I Believe In

To the rights of the young and helpless i do lend my voice
In that i was baptized as a Roman Catholic i did not have a choice
To a god of any religion i no longer pray
Suppose it is each to their own or it should be this way

The god i believe in happens to be a she
And the beauty she creates i do not pay to see
The one who does create a beautiful flower
To me will always be the World's number one super power

There is also a god known as god of the mind
Who lives in the caring and compassionate and kind
To be without a religion should not be a sin
Since the power to do good can only come from within

No point going to church to your god for to pray
If of others untruthful things you choose to say
Respect to self or your god you do not pay
Since you are not living with honor if you live in this way

When i say i do not have a religion but i do have a god
You may look on me as one who is rather odd
The god i believe in is Mother Nature by name
To be the World's greatest force her enduring claim to fame.

Her Words Of Wisdom

We dislike in others what in ourselves we do see
A wise woman years ago did say to me
And though she may be at rest where the deceased do lay
Her words of wisdom are with me today
Though many with such thinking would never agree
The flaws i dislike in others are flaws that are in me
The near saints of the World to say the least few
In this i am not saying anything that is new
Most are flawed by arrogance self importance and conceit
The perfect person i have yet for to meet
One has to suppose it is part of Nature's law
That even the best of people do have some mental flaw
What we dislike in others we see in ourselves the wise woman did say
Her words of wisdom are with me today.

To Me It Is Never A Huge Waste Of Time

To me it is never a huge waste of time
In doing what i love doing and that's writing rhyme
Without the reward of monetary pay
I add to my numbers of rhymes every day
We all have our hobbies it does seem this way
And with rhyming words i am one who does love to play
For many years i have been a rhyming buff
One of those who has written a whole pile of stuff
I have never referred to myself as a poet
Nor do i feel as one worthy of literary note
Just something i love doing and little else more
This is something you may have heard me say before
And i hope to be rhyming till the day i do die
If i did tell you different this would be a lie.

Some Things As They Were

It is said we were learning from life before we learned how to crawl
Though what applies to some does not apply to all
And though we learn as we live as the wise one does say
Not everyone does learn from life every day
Those deemed to be elite some only can admire
And of singing their praises never seem to tire
The highly paid entertainers and the sporting stars
And the people who drive in fast expensive cars
The heroes and heroines to many not abundant in knowledge, wisdom or insight
And surely not among the brightest of the bright
But without the impressionable masses it seems true for to say
That we would not have elites in the Human World of today
Yet many of those who are of a great benefit to humanity are strangers to most by name
Some things as they were over time stay the same.

On A Nice Day To Lay In The Shade Of The Trees

Out of the sun and the freshening breeze
A nice day to lay in the shade of the trees
Listening to the wild-born birds chirp and sing
To be alone with Nature is such a beautiful thing
Yet of Nature's ways so little i can claim for to know
And my wonder of her only does seem to grow
Though of her i do learn something new every day
In life we never stop learning it does seem this way
The Goddess of Nature everywhere around me
Wherever i look her beauty i do see
I cannot feel happy where noise it is rife
Those who feel bored with things natural are bored with life
The balmy air full of the buzzing of bush flies and bees
On a nice day to lay in the shade of the trees.

He Feels Disappointed

Any hope of success from him does seem to fade
He feels disappointed to have not made the grade
So much money and time in his project he did invest
And no consolation to him that to succeed he gave of his best

Since his best for material success he is one who did try
The saying of the harder you work the luckier you get to him does not apply
It is a known fact that every business venture undertaken does not succeed
And disappointment at failure can be quite great indeed

A failed business venture and now unemployed
And though still in his twenties and time on his side
He has lost most of his self confidence and self belief
Failure to self esteem can be a thief

He does not seem happy the man plagued by self doubt
But then suppose he has nothing to feel happy about
A failed business venture and now unemployed
Have become a huge dent to his sense of pride.

The Rose Of Knocknagree

The memories of what was today are with me
She lives in my memory the Rose of Knocknagree
With hair to her shoulders wavy and brown
Dancing in the Star Ballroom in Millstreet Town

So athletic and tall and nimble on her feet
A star Of the Star in the Town of Millstreet
At nineteen or twenty five years short of her prime
But this is going back many Seasons in time

A beautiful person lovely to behold
But time ticks on quickly and beauty grows old
I often do wonder where she might be today
Did she partner or marry and have children or single did she stay?

She left Knocknagree in the bloom of the May
For to start a new life in a land far away
And the Star Ballroom in Millstreet through times changes did not last
And only remains as one more memory of the past

Good memories the decades of years does span
The Rose of Knocknagree when i was a young man
Brown hair and blue eyes with warmth and charm in her smile
A beautiful young woman free of conceit and guile.

Terrorism Is Fundamentalism Out Of Control

Terrorism is fundamentalism out of control
And a terrorist is one who does not have a soul
To terrorists human life is very cheap
But as is said of us humans what we sow we will reap
Due to terrorists so many life dreams are destroyed
And because of them so many good people maimed for life or have died
And yet they believe they have god on their side
And their murders and mayhem they celebrate in pride
But as is said our wrongs of the past will return to haunt us one day
In life when we do the wrong thing there is a price for to pay
Without provocation terrorists do maim and kill
But if the law does not catch up with them Karma surely will
And what goes around comes around as the wise one does say
What we sow we will reap life works in this way.

In Winter In Ireland

It is windy and raining the sky overcast and gray
And the cattle in farmyard sheds bellowing for silage or hay
The birds far too cold and hungry for to chirp and sing
In Winter in Ireland no signs of the Spring

From the streams and the rills and every field drain
The river bank high swollen by heavy rain
Through the deserted fields by village and town
Flow on to the sea in flood waters of brown

A cold Winter's morning at zero degrees
The storm from the hills howling in leafless trees
In Winter it does rain quite often and the sky seldom clear
And the sun seldom shines at this time of year

To the Country now known as Ireland when the Romans came
Hibernia Land of Winter for it was their name
It must have been in the depths of Winter since they did not stay
From the windswept shores on their warships they sailed away

In Winter in Ireland seldom a dry day
And the cattle in farmyard sheds often bellowing for silage or hay
And the rain swollen river in flood waters of brown
Flowing bank high in the fields by the old country town.

Everyday In A World

Everyday in a World where millions with each other for success do compete
For most people in life some new challenge for to meet
Life is not meant to be easy as George Bernard Shaw used to say
For so many at least it does seem this way
Our childhood and teen years go quickly and so does our lives prime
Until eventually we all become victims of time
In a World of many losers the winners are few
And this is not saying anything that is new
On many people the pressure of living does tell
So many people in their fifties and sixties in poor health and not feeling well
We were learning from life before we learned how to crawl
And though money is important good health is the most important of all
And in a human World where millions everyday compete for success
Some do become ill due to anxiety and stress.

Den Joe Murphy

One of the strongest men in Cullen in his physical prime
Though like all others he eventually fell victim to time
Den Joe one of the nice people of Lisnaboy
His few pints of porter he used to enjoy

A tall broad shouldered handsome fellow hair dark as a crow
Den Joe Murphy was a kind and a good person to know
He did not have children and did not have a wife
And he lived in Lisnaboy all of his life

He lived with his mum Hanna Leary his sisters Joan and Peg in Lisnaboy did not stay
A new generation in Cullen in Duhallow today
All we retain of the past are memories of people and Seasons long gone
And on all of our lives the biological clocks ticking on

On his farm in Lisnaboy Den Joe worked hard every day
And nothing easy in life ever did come his way
But if he could help you he was one who would
He was one who in him who had a whole pile of good

The changes keep happening in the Lisnaboy of today
In the cemetery by Cullen church Den Joe's last remains lay
And though the now is all that does matter as the wise one does say
Good memories live on and till death with us stay.

For The Wealthy Like The Poor

You may not be admired as the wealthy and famous and great
But like you with the Reaper of lives they too have a date
And like you for them there is a last night and day
We are born to die since life is this way
The longest lived human life as time goes is not a long span
On average a few years more for a woman than it is for a man
The Reaper of lives any life does not spare
The poor one must die so must the billionaire
Money will not save you from the one who wields the scythe of death
The one from the rich and the poor who claims the living breath
It is a fact of life and fact never lie
That the longer you live the sooner you will die
For the wealthy and the poor a last night and day
We are born to die since life is this way.

It Has Been More Than Thirty Years

It has been more than thirty years since i saw Hibernia's shore
Or stood on Clara's slopes above high Claramore
Where on a clear day one can see for kilometers around
The beautiful views of Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra from the higher ground
And on my flights of fancy i can see again
In Summer in the dark pool of a drain
Swimming with tails a wriggle the young future frogs
Of the damp fields and the rushy bogs
The fields where i grew to love Nature as a boy
And learning of her ways today i do enjoy
Far from the waterways of the dipper and brown trout
In this great Country in the sunny south
And the past is now just a memory for me
Of long gone years and the what used to be.

When Those Who Have Power

For many the price of it is huge for to pay
When those who have power with their power do get carried away
Sadly history can repeat itself does seem true to say
The victims of despots in mass graves do lay
By despotic perpetrators far too many to name
Human history is littered with mass crimes of shame
So many murders in the guise of war we read of and hear
Cruel dictators enforce their authority by death and the medium of fear
In war zones of the World crimes against humanity are rife
Bad criminals with power over others show no respect for life
On all who oppose them they only wish ill
In bombings and shootings their soldiers maim or kill
The forgotten victims in mass graves do lay
Of despots who with their power do get carried away.

Far South

Far south of the fields where Finnow waters flow
Home to the badger and pheasant and silver back crow
Of Nature i learn something new every day
In life we never stop learning it does seem this way
Here in the home of koala and black wallaby and gray kangaroo
And long billed corella and yellow tailed black cockatoo
Nature's wonders are many and her secrets not few
And every day of her we do learn something new
And though my wonder of her only does seem to grow
So little of her ways of i can claim to know
Far from the waterways of the dipper and the shy brown trout
I learn about Mature in this Land of the south
Yet of Nature the more i do learn the more i realize
That of her i know little this not a surprise.

Old Jock

As gray as a badger old Jock the Scottish bloke
From gambling and drinking he often is broke
One of the most likable people in his side of the town
He manages to smile even when financially down
His wife left him and took with him their baby son this is going back in time
When Jock was in his mid twenties and in his physical prime
Because of his addiction to drinking and gambling with him she did not stay
He does not have a clue where they might be today
Though in his late seventies his addiction to gambling and drink with him remain
His love for alcohol and gambling seems beyond him to explain
I do not always lose he says with a grin
Sometimes a horse i back at long odds to my joy does win
But gambling and drinking has cost him in life
His nearest and dearest his son and ex wife.

The Cowards And The Heroes

Of those who died brave so much written and said
But the cowards they are living and the heroes are dead
Equality only where dead people lay
And the cowards they have their gift of life today

And though to the scythe of life's Reaper all lives must eventually fall
Our great gift of life is our greatest gift of all
No greater gift than it in truth one can say
Though some at a young age choose to give it away

Dead war heroes do not hear when their praises are sung
The cowards are enjoying life the heroes died young
Though perhaps many of those branded as cowards are not lacking on insight
Since in the cause of those of affluence they chose not to fight

The heroes died young since their choice was to choose death
But the cowards do love life and will fight for their last breath
they refused to fight for their Country's government in a Land far away
And because they love life they are living today

At the grave of a coward The Last Post never played
And for the young dead war heroes one more war parade
And of the young deceased war heroes much is written and said
But the cowards they are living and the heroes are dead.

Poor James Clarence Mangan

Though he lived and died in poverty he remains as one of literary note
Poor James Clarence Mangan the great Irish poet
One who did not have children or a partner or wife
He died of tuberculosis in eighteen forty nine on his forty sixth year of life
In the famine years in Ireland when many of malnutrition died
Poor James Clarence Mangan the poet did not have luck on his side
Many of the poems he did write are famous today
With words the master wordsmith he did have a way
To live poor and hungry was his reward for literary fame
Yet in Ireland his lives as a great poetic name
Of reading his great poems one could never tire
Masterpieces such as Dark Rosaleen, A Vision Of Connaught and O Husseys Ode To The Maguire
One of Ireland's all time great poets as most would agree
Yet he died as he lived in extreme poverty.

Where It Is Often Raining

Where it is often raining and few days are dry
The place of the low cloud and often gray sky
Where the rivers are often swollen from from flood waters of stream and drain
And the mountains are often cloaked in the gray fogs of rain
A Country in Spring that does look lush and green
Where on a clear day great beauty is to be seen
Old memories die hard as the wise one does say
Of the evergreen Country from here far away
That on a clear day from the higher ground
One can view beautiful countryside for kilometers around
The white waves of the Pacific are tossing about
On this sunny and breezy evening in this Land so far south
Of the place of the low cloud and flooded stream and drain
That is flowing to the river swollen by heavy rain.

We All Need Ego

We all need ego to survive though the ego in some it is strong
And narcissism is just a word for ego gone wrong
A narcissistic person to self can only relate
Or her or his own self can only celebrate
For us to love others some love of self we do need
And narcissism it is self love gone all wrong indeed
In the age of the cell phone and selfie narcissism is rife
One can say with many it is part of life
You are worthy of recognition when such to you is due
And that self praise is no praise happens to be true
And though self promotion to many nowadays is an in thing
The wise leave it to others their praises to sing
And though we all do need ego the ego in some is quite strong
And narcissism it is true is ego gone all wrong.

In The prime Of May In Annagloor

When the hawthorns look resplendent cloaked in their white blooms of the May
In the leafy groves of Annagloor the birds sing all the day
And contented cattle out of wintering sheds from months of eating silage and hay
Gaining weight on nutritious young grass chewing their cuds do lay
The dark barn swallows home to breed from distant lands chirping as they fly
On pursuit of flying insects in the blue and gray sky
And moorhen in the river to her chicks call she sense danger to them near
Her three dark babies to safety in the reeds disappear
A familiar voice in Annagloor in the prime of the Spring
Upon a leafy birch tree a male pink breasted chaffinch sing
The old fields looking lush and green after recent Spring showers
Always look beautiful in May decked in their wild flowers
And the scratchy song of the dipper in the river one does hear
In the prime of May in Annagloor it is a lovely time of year.

Moses Unwritten Eleventh Commandment

Moses unwritten eleventh commandment is not hard to recall
Every female for herself or himself and god for us all
Take care of your own self as well as your close kin
For to live short of money is always a sin
Of the praises of materialism the aspirational sing
the greed of materialism has become an in thing
For material success the aspirational compete
Few do wish to know of the homeless of the street
Money is most important to most it does seem
To not be wealthier than their neighbors does nothing for their sense of self esteem
Moses unwritten commandment with many is quite popular indeed
With those who feel happy to glorify greed
Take care of your own self and your close kin
For to live short of money is always a sin.