We Are What We Think We Are

We are what we think we are many may say
Though this is often so it is not always the way
How you see yourself and how you appear to me
There can be quite a difference it would seem to be
People of low self esteem to self criticism far more inclined
Than the aspirational and self confident kind
Who can become self centered and narcissistic in their way
And their sort i happen to meet every day
Your great job and new home and brand new motor car
Does not tell me of the person that you really are
Your compassion and kindness to others says more about you
Than anything else ever could hope to do
We are what we think we are is not always true
As some people never give themselves the credit that should be their due.

Sometimes On My Flights Of Fancy

Sometimes on my flights of fancy i can hear a cow
Lowing in a rushy field by old River Finnow
In the gray of the twilight just after sundown
In Spring in the countryside near Millstreet Town
And the mating flight of the male snipe in the darkening sky
With his wings and tail making a drumming sound as he does fly
Perhaps his way of proclaiming his breeding territory
Like us humans among Nature's creatures for borders there too is rivalry
Just learning about Nature is a source of joy
I grew to love her in far away fields when i was a boy
And though Nature does have her secrets in truth one can say
One does learn something new about her every day
A male snipe is drumming and a cow softly lowing just after sundown
By River Finnow just west of Millstreet Town.

When The Cold Northern Winds

When the cold northern winds through the bleak North-lands blow
And their home fields and woods are covered in late Autumn snow
The mottled brown redwing thrushes for to Winter fly south
Migration for them is part of what survival is about
They return again to mate and breed in their home places in Spring
To build their nests, raise their young and the males their territorial songs sing
Even in the cooler southern places they migrate to Winter can be wet and cold
And few redwing thrushes do live to grow old
Above the fields on many a November night
I used to hear them chirping when migrating in the moonlight
This is going back the years to many decades ago
To when i was younger before time became my foe
Though time has left me weary and looking gray
Good memories live on as the wise one does say.

You Take Yourself Far Too Seriously

At midnight this evening today will be gone
We age by the minute and time ticking on
On how long you will live there is no guarantee
You take yourself far too seriously is how you seem to me
When you talk of of your great job and your brand new car
You give this impression of how important you are
But you have had not a good laugh for quite awhile
And you never do find it easy to smile
You tell everyone of your wonderful life
Of your lovely children and your beautiful wife
You are self absorbed in your personal success
And others you do try so hard to impress
But that many find you boring you fail to realize
And this in itself is not any surprise.

Happy Jim

Not one with large amounts of money to his name
He is a stranger to success and fame
Yet one that you never will hear complain
From grumbling he says there is nothing to gain
He lives up to his nickname of Happy Jim
As nothing ever seems for to bother him
Single without the worry of children or wife
Contented and healthy in the prime of his life
In his mid twenties and time on his side
With a few lovers to keep him sexually satisfied
One who likes drinking and music and song
In the pub he always join in the sing along
Wherever Jim is at joy is to be found
As he carries it with him and shares it around.

Eileen Collins

Eileen was a Murphy of Ballydesmond of the Cork Kerry border on the Cork side
Her loyalties were to Cork her whole lifetime the red flag she did wave with pride
A good mother to her son Fergal in Australia and to Noel Collins a devoted wife
A Kerry man with loyalties to Kerry that will remain with him for life

Good memories do last a whole lifetime for memory in time seems to stand still
For many years they lived in Millstreet the Town in view of Clara Hill
Eileen and Noel quite well liked people and they did make many a friend
But of late very sad news on Eileen that her life journey has come to an end

For all of us there is a last Season a final night and final day
On the length of human life never any guarantee when death comes who is for to say
Eileen loved her friends and her family quite a good person in every way
She has gone home to Ballydesmond forever in peace for to lay

Her genes in her son and her grandchildren living a part of her only has gone
And good memories of her in all who did know her for their lifetimes will be living on
She lived as a good person should live she never done anyone wrong
She may have lived for years in Millstreet but her heart in Ballydesmond belong

She has gone home to Ballydesmond where she lived in her younger years
Eileen Collins surely a great person one well worthy of farewell tears
Never more to see the gray fog of rain creeping down the face of old Clara Hill
And her heart that beat with love and kindness sad to say is forever still.

We Are The Irish

We are the people of laughter and mirth
Irish by nature and Irish by birth
When in the mood for fun we celebrate
And we know how to party on until late

Our ancestors knew of sadness and tears
And endured wars and hardships and many tough years
But their love of life till death with them did remain
Their spirit and compassion in our genes we retain

Proud of our culture though ours not an overbearing pride
Our music song and dance it is known Worldwide
To join us all others we do invite
Laughter and fun people known to unite

Of racism and oppression our people have known
But that we too are not flawless we do not disown
Of the praises of others we are known to sing
And that we can laugh at ourselves is a self effacing thing

Our people in wars and famines have been down but not out
That we are a race of survivors there is not any doubt
In many bloody wars our young men their lives gave
In their belief of freedom and justice at least they died brave

Of major crimes against humanity such as genocide
Of such we do not have any secrets to hide
From our own small Country we have traveled far
We are the Irish and proud of who we are.

They Had Lived in Australia For Thousands Of Years

They had lived in Australia for thousands of years
Until the northern invaders brought them sorrow and tears
Their lands taken from them they were dispossessed
And in their own Country they became the oppressed

Their water holes poisoned they were hunted and gunned down
And on their sacred sites the so called pioneers built a town
Their children taken from them such sadness of they have known
And the respect they deserved to them was never shown

The day of the invasion of their Country now celebrated as Australia Day
True respect to Australia's first people it is time we did pay
That the day for Australia Day celebrations to them is quite hurtful should be obviously clear
And for such celebrations the date should be changed to another time of year

Australia it is true has a black history
And Australia's first people they will always be
They have survived dispossession and oppression and crimes against humanity
And they have known of racism and are treated as outsiders in their own Country

But eventually they will claim their rightful place
And be given the respect they are due as Australia's first race
That they have survived as a race of people is a miracle it does seem
And they deserve to be held in much higher esteem.

Some Things In Human Life

Some things in human life beyond me to explain
Why somebody's loss becomes someone's else's gain
It does not seem at all fair of this you may say
But then such is life and life works in this way
Losing is a thing anyone does not choose
But for one for to win someone else has to lose
Human life can be complex would you not agree
But suppose this is how it is and how it always will be
Life's winners and losers gives rise to human inequality
And few climb to the top branch of the social tree
In human life there can be inequality due to birth circumstance
People who not due to their own fault of success in life stand little chance
And why somebody's loss becomes someone else's gain
Is beyond an ordinary fellow like me to explain.

Young Jimmy The Randy

For having sex with other men's wives always some price to pay
Handsome Young Jimmy The Randy not looking handsome today
With eyes blue and swollen and a broken nose
He has got his comeuppance one has to suppose

The story of how his face was rearranged he feels too embarrassed to share
A present to him from the fists of Big Dave The Bear
Who came home early from work and found him in bed with his pretty wife Ann
To be living today Jimmy is a lucky man

As a local young stud Jimmy's reputation has grown
And for seducing other men's wives he has become known
Whilst their husbands are working with them he has his way
But you cannot win them all in life as they say

His hour of passion with Ann did not end for him in a win
Those who dabble in danger can often perish therein
Once too often the laws of morality he did transgress
And his once handsome face now looks in a mess

Young Jimmy of late is keeping out of public sight
He is not in the pub eyeing married women tonight
Like the hunted fox he has gone to ground
Since news of his bashing by Big Dave it has got around.

Lady Luck Is Not With You

Lady luck is not with you and hopes for better seem gone
But the will it is in you to keep on keeping on
It has been quite a while since in life you had a win
But you are not a quitter and you will not give in
You are searching for work since the factory you worked in closed down
And jobs are quite scarce in a high unemployment town
With a wife and three young children to support and bills for to pay
You search for a new job start every week day
But you refuse to feel negative hope in you is not dead
Hope of far better times for you and your family ahead
With other job seekers for a job start you compete
For you every day a new challenge to meet
But eventually lady luck will smile your way
As all things come to those who wait as the wise one does say.

You Will Never Become

You will never become a hero of the town
By kicking the one who is already down
The one known to be unfair others do not admire
Since people like you are to be like few desire
Picking on the underdog not seen as fair play
It will not make you a hero of the day
If of a fair go some you deny
That you will not win any friends for this no need to wonder why
Since life is already on her or him hard enough
Never try to make life harder on one doing it tough
A compassionate person helps those of helping in need
But you unlike this are not planting the seed
For your future good karma since you do not believe
That what you put into life in return you receive.

Some People I Have Known

Some people i have known are deceased today
Though till my own death memories of them with me are bound to stay
The life journey for any two not exactly the same
Perhaps this is called destiny for want of a better name
Immortality for us human beings is based on a lie
Like all other life forms we are born to die
We age rather quickly beyond our physical prime
And eventually we all do run out of time
In the not distant future on some night or day
The reaper of lives will come reaping my way
From the scythe of death there is nowhere to hide
The reality of mortality it cannot be denied
Some people i have known i will never more see
And what has become of them will also become of me.

On The Mother Of All Bombs

U S President Donald J Trump believes this is the great act of a very great man
This ordering of the bombings of the tunnels used by I S I S in Afghanistan
He may think the murdering of murderers on his behalf is great
But the killing of killers only more killing create

He says in a few months he has achieved more than his predecessor Barack Obama had in eight years
Achieved more in environmental damage and human deaths and suffering and tears
Barack Obama used his power in a positive way
But of Donald J Trump the same one cannot say

His ordering of the so called mother of all bombs on Afghanistan is an environmental crime
The affects of which will be felt on the area it was dropped on over decades of time
Any crime against our Mother Earth is quite a serious crime indeed
Of people who abuse power in a bad way the World is not in need

In eight years or less Donald J Trump from power will be gone
But the affects of his bombings on the natural environment will live on
And we still will have power abusing megalomaniacs, war, terrorism and fear
And on news of violence on news radio every day of we will hear.

Dangerous Men

Dangerous men do rule the World to order the use of nuclear warheads they have the power
like the rank weeds of the garden they do stifle every flower
Of nuclear war we live in danger this is not a source for joy
If such a thing were to happen humanity it would destroy
Great cities would be demolished millions of people would die
There would be Worldwide deaths and suffering this a fact and facts don't lie
In nuclear war all would be losers dangerous men with power do rule by fear
In every news on the radio of war and terrorism we do hear
On this the early twenty first century peace from the World seems far away
Threats of nuclear war are scary and such threats are made every day
By dangerous men with great power at their disposal yet their praises the patriots sing
The voices of peace by war mongers silenced this is such a dangerous thing
Threats and counter threats by dangerous men with nuclear weapons at their disposal rather scary one can say
But this is what we hear of and read in the media every day.

The More I Learn Of Life

The more i learn of life the more i realize
That i know so little this not a surprise
We never stop learning seems true for to say
And we learn as we live from life every day
We have been learning from life before we learned how to crawl
And we come to realize we know little at all
Of life and it's ways though we learn as we live
That to expect to receive we must know how to give
Though of years i have reached the three score and ten
I realize i am not one of the most knowledgeable of men
But those in search of enlightenment and for knowledge have a desire
And are open to learning knowledge in this way will acquire
We never stop learning till the day we do die
And those who tell you different believe their own lie.

Charlotte Mew

That the cream to the top of the milk rises is not saying anything that is new
One can say the same of poets and poetry good poets always in the few
Some poets works quickly fade from memory like sunlit Summer morning dew
But one poet one cannot say this of is the great London writer Charlotte Mew

Born in Bloomsbury in London back in eighteen sixty nine
Her poetry grew better as she aged like good wine
With many family tragedies she knew of a very sad life
Charlotte she never was anyone's wife

In nineteen twenty eight she died in her late fifties in a slow and painful way
By drinking of lysol but her legend lives on today
In her wonderful poetry she was a great poet
She will always remain as one worthy of literary note

Family tragedies on the mental health did take toll
Of Charlotte Mew a sensitive and talented woman with a poetic soul
She was one of those who had the bright inner glow
And in her great poetry her legend does grow.

On Barnaby Joyce

With a ruddy round face and a very loud voice
The Deputy Prime Minister of Australia Barnaby Joyce
The leader of the National Party quite famous and widely known
But i for one cannot say of him that he is in a class of his own

Though many with what i say of him would not agree
Barnaby does seem quite ordinary to me
Since never any pro natural environment statement ever leaves his big mouth
That he is not a friend of Nature he leaves none in doubt

Pro everything that is toxic to the natural environment of him one can say
Barnaby would have more coal mines if he had his way
He wants to create more short terms jobs at a huge environmental cost
For to describe the utterance of his thinking for words i am lost

For giving politicians like Barnaby Joyce the power and the fame
The anti environmental voters are those for to blame
And sadly as ever their sort not of the few
And this is not saying anything that is new

That the economy is built on the Natural Environment many fail for to see
With them ignorance is bliss is how it seems to be
It is they who gave us this fellow named Barnaby Joyce
With a ruddy round face and a rather loud voice.

In Johnny Hickey's Grove

A long time ago and from here far away
In Johnny Hickey's grove in Inchaleigh children's games we did play
As primary school-goers long before our lives prime
This is going back the years more than six decades in time

Only memories of them with me now do stay
The friends of my childhood where are they today?
Since we all had to follow our lives destiny
Though i often do wonder where today they might be

Not everyone's life story in book form told
And it is true not all children do live to grow old
Not all of the children of Johnny Hickey's grove are living today
Some of them at peace where the deceased now lay

The past just a memory of Seasons long gone
And time does not wait it just keeps ticking on
Though the bodies grow old good memories as young remain
And in Johnny Hickey's grove we play children's games again

Whenever i hear children laughing at play
My thoughts carry me to a spot far away
Johnny Hickey's grove near the Town of Millstreet
Where my young friends of the past i feel happy to meet.

The Last White Butterflies

Flitting above the flowers by the garden wall
So beautiful the last white butterflies of the Fall
They will be long gone before the last Autumn leaves of brown
Will be tossed by the winds on the sidewalks of the town
Since the lives of butterflies are not that long
For to breed the natural urge in them is strong
As butterflies their average life span is just a few days
The workings of Nature never ceases to amaze
Since they do not seem bound by territory
At least in their short lives they live as totally free
But old age creeps on them in a matter of hours
And their lives even far shorter than Nature's flowers
Flitting above the flowers by the garden wall
The last white butterflies of the southern Fall.

Though Time It Does Never Wait

The odds are the parents will be outlived by their daughter and son
Though time it does never wait on anyone
And on how long you will live never a guarantee
Death can come at anytime is how it seems to be
The Reaper of lives can come at anytime
People die young and old and in their lives prime
Though three score and ten years the average human life span
On average a few years more for a woman than it is for a man
Wisdom comes with age or so we are told
But the few wise people i know they are far from old
Though many do seem to grow wiser with age
Only a wise young person can grow to a sage
But us humans like all other mortals are born to die
And that death is for everyone is not a lie.

April In Yangery

In Yangery today it is eighteen degrees
With a cool freshness in the coastal breeze
Blowing above the paddocks across the gray sky
The weather forecast for the day is cloudy and dry
The weather for the time of year quite dry overall
On the second week of April in the southern Fall
The tiny frogs singing in every pond and drain
And the countryside looking greener after recent rain
Seemingly quite happy sheltering from the breeze
The contented cattle chewing their cuds lay by the tall cypress trees
On a nice enough day though the sun is not out
Such beauty an artist could sketch or a writer write about
Though the weather forecast does have some rain on the way
In Yangery it is a nice April day.

April In Mushera

When the mountain is cloaked in the gray fogs of rain
I will never fell timber by Mushera again
With the cool winds of April blowing across the gray sky
I only have memories of days long gone by

In showery though pleasant weather of fifteen to twenty degrees
The nesting wood pigeons cooing on the pine trees
And robins and thrushes, finches and blackbirds have their songs to sing
In Mushera wood near the prime of the Spring

In my memory time it does seem to stand still
The dark faced horned ewes with their lambs in the fields by the hill
Their bleating have followed me from far away
I fancy that i am in Mushera today

April in Mushera it can be a nice time of year
The lark above the mountain in memory i hear
Cloaked in the gray clouds he sing as upwards he does fly
His mate on her eggs in a ground nest nearby

Rain water flowing brown in every drain
Of April in Mushera the memories with me remain
I felled pine trees there many Seasons ago
Before time that rusts iron did become my foe.

These Unheralded Great People

Though in the seeds of compassion true greatness is sown
Not many great people become widely known
Since their acts of kindness in public they never promote
As they feel unworthy to be looked on as people of note
For their acts of kindness and in their generosity by good example they lead the way
The people who help those in need of helping every day
For to make the World better to live in for others their part they do play
Though of how great they are you will never hear them say
For their compassion and kindness they never receive the credit they are due
And to their higher selves they remain ever true
They spend their time working where the poorest people are
The victims of circumstance and drought and war
These unheralded great people i can only admire
And of singing their praises i for one cannot tire.

I Remember Millstreet

I remember Millstreet as a welcoming Town
Which was one of it's many just claims to renown
As some of it's people are famous and known far and wide
Beyond the borders of Duhallow's green countryside
It has been thirty years since i lived near the Town of Millstreet
By the old rushy fields where the waterways meet
And such beautiful memories of there i retain
That until the day i do die with me will remain
Years ago in Millstreet Town and Parish i felt one of their own
But to many today there i would not be known
From the Millstreet i knew it would be different there today
Since from there i have been quite a long time away
In Claraghatlea near Millstreet Town i first saw light of day and grew into a man
Though far south of there i may live out my life span.

John Masefield The Poet

His great and large output of literary works have outlived him by decades of time
John Masefield the poet who wrote stories in rhyme
For many years Britain's Poet Laureate but in truth of him one can say
He was a true poet of the people in his lyrical way

Few poets of his time with him one could hope to compare
His type of writer was then even quite rare
Even many of his longer poems today are loved and read and widely known
Though long deceased the fans of his writing in numbers have grown

One of the last great rhyming poets none quite like him today
John Masefield was one who with words had a way
As a favorite of those who love rhyming poetry his poems do remain
With those who a literary liking for rhyme does retain

More than half of a century beyond the death of his mortal body his remains a great literary name
One who in his lifetime remained humble despite his widespread fame
A sailor and a poet in his literary prime
John Masefield the man who wrote stories in rhyme.

In The World Every Day

There are people dying in the World every day
In bombings and shootings and in every foul way
In accidents or illnesses, heart attack or stroke
From the sleep of death none have ever woke
Some die young in years and some live to die old
And many their life stories will never be told
The celebrity the v i p and those of wealth and fame
As well as the poor of the World life's reaper treats as the same
The great tree of the forest of old age does fall
And eventually time will take care of us all
It rusts steel and iron and becomes everyone's foe
And people age quickly as the years come and go
And the reaper of lives on some night or day
Eventually comes reaping everyone's way.

Johnny Big Nose

We all have our physical blemishes one does suppose
I know of this fellow with a large nose
By the nickname of Johnny Big Nose he is known
Though to this he will tell you my nose is my own

Single in his mid twenties one who hates his nickname
Though for this in truth him one hardly can blame
If you call him by his nickname him you will offend
This would be one way of losing him as a friend

What he lacks in physical beauty he more than makes up for in another way
Since he performs a good deed sometimes more every day
Always willing to help those of helping in need
For his future good karma he plants the good seed

Johnny Big Nose the name he is known to many by
But why he does not like his nickname no need to ask why
Since nicknames can be offensive in truth one can say
And to those who offend you respect to seems hard to pay.

As Long As They Do Not

As long as they do not spread of me malicious lies
That to assasination of character does give rise
The opinions of others does suit me fine
And what they say of me is no business of mine

Not everyone of you has nice things to say
You win some and lose some since life is this way
The one without an enemy does not have one true friend
To say otherwise would be to pretend

That some people are born for to please everyone
When every day old friendships are lost and new friendships are won
But the kindest of people are known to believe
That to live a good life one must give to receive

You may be the kindest and nicest person in the town
But always a few in words to put you down
The words of a wise person i do recall
You may well win some but you won't win them all

As long as in public untruths of me they do not say
The opinions of others with me is okay
Though you live as a good person there are always a few
Who will criticize you this is nothing new.

Simon

His future predestined for him to live elsewhere
Simon left his hometown for the big World out there
A young migrant fellow quite close to his physical prime
Content in his life one who knows how to have a good time

One who does work hard for good take home pay
He knows he would be unemployed if in his hometown he did stay
Since there unemployment is rife and many young people are on the dole
And are living their lives in a financial hole

Of late young love it has blossomed in Simon's life
He has met Ann the beautiful young woman who will become his wife
As a carpenter for a building company he earns a good take home pay
And he is looking forward to his wedding day

To the love of his life the beautiful Ann
Simon considers himself to be quite a lucky man
For his first home far away he does not have any tears
There he left at nineteen going back in time four years.

Aging Bill

Aging Bill divorced from Carol his nagging ex wife
Vows he will never have another woman in his life
He claims he has lived as a far happier man
Since ten years ago she left him for his ex best friend Stan

They went off to live in a town far away
Stan did me a favor he often does say
Life for him better without her he now does realize
Our mistakes of the past on hindsight we recognize

Aging Bill a grandfather In his sixtieth Year
Will tell you in life that love has cost him dear
He used to love Carol a long time ago
But as is said of love time can become it's foe

On his last decade with Carol there were arguments every day
She sulked and she scolded when she did not have her way
The darker side of love for resentment the seed
And what once was beautiful can turn nasty indeed

Aging Bill into a wiser person has grown
He now feels much happier living on his own
His ex wife she is married to his former best friend Stan
And without her he will grow old as a far happier man.

The Town's Favorite Pub

Oh what a great evening of laughter and beer
Such a joy to be among happy bar room cheer
In what is the happiest pub in the town
That is known to lift the spirits of those feeling down
In the town's happiest pub never a boring night
A happy place where friends meet where there is never a fight
There are nights of song and music and dancing and rhyme
In the pub local people visit for to have a good time
The sweet sound of pub laughter easy on the ear
And always does seem quite a joy for to hear
Where the atmosphere is better than at any community club
For fun and enjoyment the town's favorite pub
Where everyone has an enjoyable night
And where there never has been or never will be a fight.

In The Old Rushy Fields

In the old rushy fields where the waterways meet
Just west of the County Cork Town of Millstreet
The mottled meadow pipits of feathers brown and gray
In the greeness of April are singing today

A freshening breeze of the Boggeraghs blowing
And hidden in the rushes the male pheasants are crowing
They mate with the females in April and May
Though no other part in parenting they do play

The lark a musical speck in the gray of the sky
Though born on the ground for to sing has to fly
The early flowers of Nature in full bloom to be seen
And Duhallow is looking resplendent and green

Spring in view of the Boggeraghs is a nice time of year
The songs of the blackbirds, wrens, robins and song thrushes so pleasant to hear
The finches are singing on bushes and trees
Their voices are carrying in the freshening breeze

And out of wintering sheds on months of living on silage and hay
Cattle on nutritious young grass are gaining weight by the day
In the old rushy fields by the Town of Millstreet
In the green countryside where the waterways meet.

A Final Farewell

Though we will never hear the tolling for us of the funeral bell
For all of us there will be a final farewell
Since we are born as mortals why otherwise pretend
Life is a journey for us that will end
In life every day some new challenge for to meet
In this Human World where many compete
With each other for this thing known as material success
We have this need in us our peers to impress
Perhaps the competitiveness in us is a survival gene
This need for recognition makes us want to be seen
As materially successful which is good for our self esteem
We are creatures of ego is how it does seem
But no matter what we achieve for us a last farewell
As for all of us it ends in the tolling of the funeral bell.

For April And Mid Autumn

For April and mid Autumn such a warm day
In the sunny blue sky just a few clouds of gray
A weather temperature high for the day of twenty five degrees
And white butterflies dancing in the warm breeze
And a magpie is warbling on a sunlit tree
And the magpie larks sing their familiar pee wee
Such summery weather for the time of year
The laughter of children in the park playground so pleasant to hear
Though the dry countryside could do with some rain
With such pleasant weather not many would complain
On the deciduous trees few brown leaves at all
It seems more like mid Summer weather-wise than mid Fall
The long billed corellas do call as they fly
And the dark welcome swallows chasing insects in the sky.

The Brave Old Survivors

One might say their own legends in wars they fought in they have made
And from history they will not be allowed for to fade
On every war memorial day and in every war street parade
For the bravery in the name of freedom in war they had displayed

A far better physical day of they did know
As to the war memorial behind the citizen band they shuffle on slow
The medals for bravery on the lapels of their coats on display
As proof that they fought in a war far away

As young soldiers they were trained on how to shoot for to kill
But lessons are not learned from war history and perhaps never will
For as long as there are patriots and nationalists and religious people in the extreme
We will always have conflicts and wars it does seem

Behind the citizens band they slowly do lag
The men who had risked their lives for the colors of a flag
The brave old survivors of them one can say
Who as young men saw action in a war far away.

Her Wonders Are Many

Her wonders are many and her secrets not few
And every day of her i do learn something new
Everywhere i turn to look her beauty i do see
Every day it is everywhere all around me
So little of Nature's ways i can claim to know
But my wonderment of her never ceases to grow
She has a new lesson for me every day
We never stop learning only true to say
In far away fields i loved her as a boy
And learning of her ways today i enjoy
But the more i do learn the more i realize
That i do know so little this not a surprise
The wild birds are singing in the sunlit park by the bay
And her beauty it is all around me today.

With Yourself You Begin

To make a more compassionate Human World to live in
You surely can help if with yourself you begin
By improving yourself as a person and to others be kind
They do not do anything for humanity those to selfishness inclined
Each individual in their own right have a part to play
By making the World better for everyone to live in on every way
By helping if you can anyone of your helping in need
For a better World to live in you are planting the seed
People who are greedy, selfish and arrogant and vain
Are never to humanity's advantage or gain
They are not the type with others willing to share
And sad to think their type are not even rare
You may not be quite perfect who is free of sin?
But you can help to make the World better to live in.

Due To Climate Change And Human Destruction

Due to climate change and human destruction of their natural habitat many species of life forms becoming rare
Though the World is only for us humans to live in and with other creatures to share
That many species of wildlife are endangered of extinction seems a sad thing to say
And every day more trees for land development are being cut away
For the children of the future there will be fewer wild creatures to see
Species extinction is a black mark in human history
So many creatures are losing out to human greed
Of far more environmentally friendly people the Human World is in need
People with legal documents of land ownership in their thinking have got it wrong
To think they own land though to the land they belong
I only say here what is already known
That what does outlive us on paper you only own
More humans less of other life forms happens for to be true
We are not environmentally friendly for to give us our due.

Have You Ever Felt Time

Have you ever felt time is not on your side
That some you have been in school with have died
physically you are not the one you were in a long bygone day
And time on your life ever ticking away
The years did pass quickly beyond your life's prime
And you wish that you could turn back the hands of time
But only memories remain of past years long gone
And your biological clock ever keeps ticking on
Since we are born as mortals and all mortals do die
Any talk of immortality for human beings is based on a lie
The average human life span is seventy years in time not a long span
A few years more for a woman than it is for a man
At 12 a m this evening the past will be today
And time on our lives does keep ticking away.

You Do Not Need To Tell Me

You do not need to tell me that my rhymes are a bit rough
Since to be honored with the title of poet i am not good enough
Though for many years i have been a rhyming buff
And i am one who has written reams and reams of stuff

You are quite opinionated is how it does seem
And of self love you have an inflated sense of esteem
It takes an arrogant one to give to strangers unsolicited negative free advice
And arrogance as is said it is never nice

Internet trolling in the twenty first century does seem an in thing
But the praises of trollers one ought not to sing
It does seem like your ego has grown too big for your head
Fools always rush in where angels fear to tread

On some of your internet comments you ought not to take pride
It is people like you the confidence of amateur writers have destroyed
Those who enjoy hurting the feelings of others are lacking on insight
And to deliberately hurt the feelings of others it is never right

You must be quite narcissistic is all i can say
On giving your unsolicited for negative opinions on the writing of others to waste your time of day
You are an arrogant person for to give you your due
But sad to say there are many in the World like you.

Wise Words Of The Wise One

Wise words of the wise one i can only recall
That a fair go to some is not a fair go to all
A fair go is something that to all should apply
Though some of this of others do choose to deny

So many of a fair go in life of have not known
It is in fear and mistrust the seeds of xenophobia and racism are sown
A fear and mistrust that is based on feelings of superiority in a warped sort of a way
By judgmental people whose sort are not rare sad to say

Those who truly believe on a fair go for all i can only admire
And of singing their praises i for one cannot tire
They take people on their merit and do not generalize
Which on their behalf does seem fair minded and wise

If you live an honorable life and never harm anyone
Then to your mother and father you are a good daughter or son
Someone they ought to feel proud of how on one chooses to live transcends religion,culture and race
Since we are what we believe in and the causes we embrace

Some in their thinking sad to say do seem rather small
When they talk of a fair go they do not mean a fair go for all
The seeds of their superior feelings sown in racism and xenophobia and in nationalistic pride
And sad to say their sort are not rare Worldwide.

If We All Thought In The Same Way

If we all thought in the same way and on all things did agree
How boring and predictable we all would be
On the opinions of others we would not cast a doubt
As we would not have anything for to argue about
Our different ways makes us interesting is how it seem to be
At least anyway this is how it seems to me
There are not any two people that i could name
Who in their ways are exactly the same
Many people many things in common do share
This is something that most people of are aware
But on everything they do not see eye to eye
Why this should be even great thinkers ask why
That our different ways make us more interesting happens to be true
And what is great to me may not be so to you.

In My Visualizations

In my visualizations time seems to stand still
On the bracken clad slopes of old Clara hill
On a pleasant evening in early July
The brown lark above me caroling in the sky

Picking tiny blue whortleberries the fruits of the heath
When ripe very tasty and delicious to eat
Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra's green countryside
As far as the eyes can see stretching far and wide

From Clara overlooking the Town of Millstreet
And the old rushy fields where the waterways meet
I often climbed it in weather free of the gray fogs of rain
And in visualizations climb it again and again

In my visualizations i go back in time
To when i was younger in my physical prime
When the hawthorns were cloaked in their blooms of white to gray
On the ditches of the fields of Claraghatlea in May

In my visualizations the past comes to me
And i go back in time in my memory
To when i was younger and my hair was dark brown
And i worked in the fields just west of Millstreet Town.

For Australia's First People

Of more than two hundred years of racism, oppression and massacres they have survived
But for Australia's first people their time has almost arrived
For to be recognized as Australia's first race
And as the descendants of the Country's first people claim their rightful place
For too long by non indigenous Australians they have been kept down
And denied any opportunity of success and renown
But time with it brings change as the wise one does say
And for Australia's first people better times are on the way
Many of their children taken from them Australia's dispossessed
For far too long they have been racially vilified kept down and oppressed
But their value as people in the twenty first century has grown
One can say that they are in a class of their own
More than two centuries of racism and oppression they have survived
For Australia's first people their time has almost arrived.

A Kind Enough Person

A kind enough person who has never done anyone wrong
For all of his life he has been struggling along
And few wish to know of you when you are down
And doing it tough on the poor side of the town
Ninety percent of working age where he lives are unemployed
He is one of the many without luck on their side
Homeless in his late teens without a postal address
It is a long climb from where he lives to the summit of success
For robbery to buy narcotics a federal crime
His parents in prison serving jail time
Yet to his higher self he is one who remains true
And for not drinking alcohol or taking narcotics some credit he is due
A homeless teenager on the poor side of the town
Where none wish to know of the financially down.

The Opinionated

They look at others in a judgmental way
The opinionated people who like to have their say
On everything and anything they seem to know about
The people who never do know of self doubt
Their knowledge on the worth of others in public they like to share
Opinionated people have never been rare
Of their own rights as people they are only aware
And when they hurt others feelings they do not seem to care
Yet those who verbally like dragging others down
Are never the popular people of any town
One can say of them not kind in any way
They pass judgment on others without receiving for it any pay
In humanity there are all sorts one has to suppose
Some good at making friends whilst others are good at making foes.

Greg McMahon The Man

In the World for good souls up there perhaps for him no space
Greg McMahon the man who stared death in the face
The Reaper of lives had come reaping his way
But decided to leave him for another day

Coughing up blood he suddenly felt quite ill
All over his body he felt death's cold chill
But the Reaper a decision on Greg did make
And decided the life of the Moyne Shire's top mechanic not to take

It was not meant to be Greg McMahon's last day
After a week in hospital he is feeling okay
His life the Reaper had decided to spare
As he was one who was needed for more cars to repair

The book on his life was closing a white line he could see
Greg thought he would die but for him thankfully it was not meant to be
The Lady of luck on his life she did smile
Life's reaper will not come reaping his way again for some while

Greg McMahon the man who looked death in the eye
But the Reaper of lives by him went reaping by
Deciding not to rob him of his life's living breath
And leave him to tell of his close shave with death.

An Untalented Person

No such a thing as an untalented person despite what some might say
Everyone is talented in some sort of a way
Though for their talents they may never be recognized
And in their lifetimes their full potential by them never realized
Suppose one might call this the luck of the draw
For some life can be not unlike Murphy's Law
Where few things for them ever seem to go right
And life for them always seems an uphill fight
The praises of so called celebrities many may sing
But of an untalented person there is no such a thing
The human masses legends may well create
Though all of the celebrated are not necessarily great
There is truth in the saying it is each to their own
An untalented person of i have never known.

It Used To Be Poetry

In writing rhyme for most people there is little money and fame
Even going back the decades of literary history so few rhymers for themselves have made a name
For most it is only a hobby for to while away some leisure time
The back end of the twentieth century has witnessed the passing of rhyme
The literary critics of the twenty first century the praises of non rhyming poets sing
Rhyme verse which at one time was popular is no longer seen as an in thing
Suppose nothing does last forever and time with it changes does bring
Though rhymers will always be rhyming and to the old ways fondly cling
Even successful poets do not die as wealthy writers though a top novelist becomes a millionaire
The famous and wealthy writers nowadays as ever are quite rare
Writing rhyme for most rhymers a hobby though rhymers are born not made
And every writer is needed as links in the chain of the wordsmith trade
Though out of literary fashion the old style writing of rhyme
It used to be recognized as poetry but that is of a long gone time.

You May As Well Look On The Bright Side

You may as well look on the bright side for you there may be better days ahead
The future it surely does matter and the past save for the memories is dead
Go out and buy a lotto ticket you may be a winner tonight
Tomorrow you may be quite happy and smiling the broad smile of delight
Few wish to know of one who is unhappy looking sad faced and feeling down
They are never the life of any party the unhappy people of the town
Laugh and the World laughs with you as a truism remain
Why few wish to know of the unhappy one does not need for to explain
They are indeed positive people though in financial strife
Who in public can keep smiling and look on the bright side of life
They carry on with life of their tough lives they never complain
Life it may well have knocked them down but they rise and fight on again
You may as well look on the bright side of you there may be better days ahead
The future it surely does matter and the past save for the memories is dead.

It Is Sad To See Political Leaders

It is sad to see political leaders who know so little about those in dire poverty
Who never do speak of homeless people the poor victims of inequality
It seems that they hardly do matter as few of them vote on election day
To be poor and homeless and hungry is to be ignored sad to say
There are no votes in talking of poverty for politicians so of such a subject they do stay clear
They would much prefer to talk of terrorism and spreading their message of fear
Or of economic rationalization or of getting tougher on crime
Their aim is to keep their voters happy their sort of negativity works for them every time
The people we vote into parliament are our reflective mirrors it does seem
It does say far more about us in those we hold in high esteem
Than any words spoken or written for words are so easy to say
Most of the well off do not care about those in poverty since they themselves are doing quite okay
Politicians never talk of housing homeless people with them it is out of sight and out of mind
You will not win a seat in the parliament if you are compassionate and kind.

The One Who Deliberately Hurt Your Feelings

The one who deliberately hurt your feelings will never become your friend
Since words can be quite hurtful and deeply offend
You may be one the insulting one willing to forgive
But the mental hurt you will never forget for as long as you will live
That words can be very hurtful does remain ever true
And though the offending one you can legally sue
Words like mud tends to stick as the wise one does say
This is how it is and will always be this way
It is hard to say anything positive in the defense
Of those with words who deliberately insult others and on so doing cause offense
They are never the most popular people in the town
Who in their words find pleasure on putting others down
Treat others as you would like them treat you is how it ought to be
Respect does earn you respect would you not agree?

There Are Millions Of Them

There are millions of them in the big World out there
Over-inflated egos are around me everywhere
With other like minded people the egotistical compete
Their sort sad to say are not hard for to meet

So many nowadays their own praises do sing
The look at me syndrome has become an in thing
People taking selfies i see every day
What was one time seen as self conceited is now looked on by many as okay

So many who believe that they are a special gift to life
Narcissism nowadays does seem to be rife
The humble endangered of extinction or so it does seem
They are seen as those who suffer of low self esteem

Competing for jobs and competing for success
So many trying hard others for to impress
We are in the age of me, myself and i
To say otherwise would be telling a lie.

Bruno

He is one i see often though not every day
With his fishing rod fishing from the pier in saltwater bay
The hair on his balding head is silver gray
The stocky built fellow from a land far away

Bruno an octogenarian from distant Milan
The City he left as a very young man
He retains his Italian accent though his English quite good
Sufficient enough for to be understood

Two years ago to cancer he lost Maria his wife
Her passing has left a huge hole in his life
She too did love fishing they fished side by side
With their rods from the pier often at high tide

They migrated to Australia from Milan six decades ago
In this southern Land they raised their children and time became their foe
Bruno a great grandfather lives on his own
And of happier days he would surely have known

A friendly old fellow free of conceit and guile
He even greet strangers to him with a smile
Often from the pier of saltwater bay
With his rod he is fishing to pass time of day.

Extinction Is Forever

Species of animals, birds, fish, insects and amphibians facing extinction every day
And extinction is forever despite what some might say
In the age of genetic modification and human created breeding by d n a
What is lost to Nature is lost forever it does seem this way
Due to human destruction of their natural habitat wildlife are losing out
And Worldwide many creatures are endangered north, west, east and south
Due to human greed far too many species to name
Have become extinct and this does seem a shame
And yet land for wildlife being cleared to varying degrees
Creatures cannot survive in concrete covered ground without grass and trees
In science, physics, chemistry and engineering since the first motor car
In this the age of technology human beings have come far
Yet in human greed for materialism wildlife species becoming endangered everywhere
On water and land in the big World out there.

The Fellow From Yambuk

Beside him big men do look physically small
The fellow from Yambuk broad shouldered and tall
In the City of Warrnambool where he has lived for many a year
A man even the local bullies respect and fear

A fellow who never has that much to say
He is not a bully or was never that way
But anyone who has messed with him has hit the ground
And the word of how strong he is has got around

With fuzzy dark beard and long hair dark as a crow
The colossus from Yambuk to anger may be slow
But those who have picked on him have come to realize
That to anger him on their behalf not very wise

At twenty six years in the prime of his life
The fellow from Yambuk has two young daughters and a wife
One who with his life his family would defend
Yet in Warrnambool one never short of a friend

Twenty five kilometers from where he went to Primary school
The strongest and biggest man in Warrnambool
The fellow from Yambuk broad shouldered and tall
Beside him big men do look physically small.

Kanturk In Duhallow

Kanturk by the Allow an old Duhallow Town
In north County Cork with many claims to renown
For the friendliness of it's people it is known far and wide
Beyond the borders of the green countryside

For one of it's great people Edel Quinn by name
There is a Hall in the Town in honor of her name
In her lifetime one who helped many of helping in need
A beautiful woman and a great person indeed

A Town i used to visit in decades gone by
On looking back the Seasons how quickly time does fly
So many nice people from there i have known
One might say of them in a class of their own

Kanturk in Duhallow i may never more see
Though it retains a special place in my memory
The Duhallow Town near where Allow does flow
As on towards the Blackwater it winds deep and slow.

William Barnes

William Barnes was an English clergyman and poet
In the nineteenth century he was one of literary note
From Bagber he was raised a farmer's son
And for his poetry in his lifetime widespread acclaim he won

Many of his poems in the Dorset dialect even popular today
He was one who with words did have a way
A poet who has been outlived by his fame
So many good poems live on in his name

A devout man he lived to a good age
Many of his poems bear the mark of a poetic sage
Of his rightful place in literary history none him ought to deny
And to him the word greatness does apply

One might say of him in a class of his own
His marvelous poems on nature and people remain widely read and known
Those who like his poetry fans of his poems remain
And revisit them again and again

In 1886 in his eighty fifth year William Barnes died
His poems today known to many poetry fans Worldwide
Today he remains as a credit to the wordsmith trade
True poets like he was are born and not made.

Nature Her Own Self

The beauty you see all around you today
For a different beauty quite soon will make way
When the deciduous trees once green overall
Will turn to brown and lose their leaves to the Fall
Nature at all times never seems to grow old
Unlike the young woman beautiful to behold
Will soon lose her beauty to the passing of time
As people age quickly beyond their physical prime
Nature the one the artists and writers in their work celebrate
In her magical powers her own beauty create
People grow old as the Seasons come and go
But time it does never become Nature's foe
Mortality for us humans a common fate
And Nature her own self does regenerate.

The Voice Of Addiction

I have said all in rhyme that one ought to say
But a small voice within me say rhyme on today
The voice of addiction has me in it's spell
For to add to my numbers of rhyme doggerel
I must be addictive to keep penning rhyme
I have written so many over decades of time
To keep penning rhyme in me there is this need
One addicted by nature is addicted indeed
To say i enjoy rhyming is not telling a lie
And i hope to be doing it until the day i do die
And though i only write rhymes for the love of it never for pay
What i enjoy doing why should i give away
Though a poet in the true sense i never can be
It was my love of rhyme made a rhymer of me.

Losing On The Feelings

Losing on the feelings can be rather tough
You gave it your best try though not quite good enough
You may not have proved yourself in your big test
But you need not feel sorry since you gave it your best
Of glory by one better you were denied
And though losing it can be quite a dent to one's pride
You were not a sore loser as you lost with grace
And accepted defeat with a smile on your face
For you there will surely be another day
When the fans for you they will be shouting hooray
You win some and lose some does seem true to say
For winners there are losers life works in this way
You gave it your best try what more could you do
And for losing with grace credit it is your due.

Of Nature

The beauty we never do pay for to see
In the places that are home to the wild-born and free
Even people in towns live near Nature every day
She lives in the parks near where they live a short walk away
Though one's wonderment of her never does cease to grow
So little of her ways i for one seem to know
Though of her i do learn something new every day
We learn as we live as the wise one does say
The one who has the supreme magical power
From a tiny dark seed she grows a beautiful flower
She grows food for us humans for as long as we live
Yet we take and take from her and in return to her little give
Whether we are buried or cremated we will return to her one day
Since we are born to die life is this way.

Princess Haya Of Jordan

A woman who does live an honorable life
Princess Haya of Jordan Al Maktoum's wife
A patron of the homeless and stateless and those of helping most in need
One can say of her that she is a great person indeed

To charitable causes millions in money she does give
Because of her many stateless and homeless people better lives do live
She is an extraordinary generous billionaire
The Princess Hayas of the World are to say the least rare

A patron of the poorest of the poor and the refugee
The Princess who befriends those in dire poverty
Now here is a person i can only admire
And of singing her praises i for one cannot tire

A physically beautiful person and beautiful in every way
And a leading philanthropist in the Human World of today
To performing of good deeds one quite readily inclined
Some people are born to be generous and kind

Princess Haya who in a positive way uses her influence, wealth and fame
For the betterment of humanity she carries the flame
With the glow of kindness on her beautiful smiling face
She is a credit to her creed and her race.

Of Regrets He Will Not Be Free

As a boy he daydreamed of a new life elsewhere
Of travel and adventure in the bigger World out there
Yet he fell in love and married and raised his children and in the hometown did stay
And is regretting as a young man that he had not traveled today
He and his wife in their late sixties love between them is dead
Though they live as man and wife with old age of them ahead
Due to love and commitments his life dreams he did not pursue
But as is said not all dreams in life ever come true
He feels too old now to travel his best days in life gone
But regrets never change things and life does go on
The eldest of his two boys and a girl a son in his mid forties in his brown hair some gray
The years go by quickly and time ticks away
Till the day he does die of regrets he will not be free
Regretting for what might have been but was not meant to be.

Of Your Life

Of your life you have many stories to tell
Though they may never be published in book form to sell
It is only mostly wealthy celebrities we read of and hear about
That it is a World for winners there can be little doubt
Stories of the lives of the so called ordinary can be extraordinary indeed
But of such stories in book form there does not seem the need
Of the majority of the reading public who are smitten by wealth and fame
Few wish to know of one with little money to his or her name
Few do wish to know of the financially down
The poor who do live in the poor side of the town
Though they have great stories of their life struggles to tell
Poverty does never serve anyone well
The poor homeless person of the city slum
Is often referred to by some as a bum.

Like His Middle Aged Dad

The young man a racist just like his middle aged dad
His thinking influenced by a biased mentor which seems a bit sad
His idea of a fair go does not include all
Some in their thinking can be very small
Like father like son as the wise one does say
Like his dad the son is a racist as his children will be one day
Racism exists in every city, village and town
From generation to generation it is passed down
The main reason for this bad parenting is to blame
That racist parents instill racism in their children does seem a shame
That most children follow parental example happens to be true
And to the parents who raise their children to be non racist only credit is due
The dad is a racist and the son is the same
The result of bad mentoring for want of a better name.

Your Best Friend Of The Past

Your best friend of the past as your best friend may not stay
On our journey in life we make new friends on the way
From some former good friends apart in our ways we do grow
Few friendships last a lifetime this much we do know
Some of my friends of the past i have not seen for years
And for what used to be i have shed my last tears
Their journeys in life have been different to mine
And few friendships do age like the taste of good wine
It has been quite a while since i lived in Millstreet
And most of my friends of the past i may never more meet
And though any of your friends of the past not your enemy today
The migrant makes new friends life works in this way
For many of us our journey in life takes us to places elsewhere
And we make new friends in the big World out there.

For Poor Joe

For poor Joe it has been another down day
And nothing it does seem is going his way
Though he has three nice young children and a beautiful wife
Depression of late has crept into his life

He owns a nice home, has a good job and drives a good car
And up the social ladder he has climbed far
But he is often not content in his mind
Life can be so sad for the depressive kind

Yet he is a nice person even when feeling down
And a good friend to many on his side of the town
He is one who performs many a good deed
And never turns his back on anyone of his help in need

Of his days of depressive moods he may never be free
For people like Joe how sad life at times must be
That depression is a form of mental illness is nothing new
And those who suffer of it are not of the few

Depression it does seem is a mental flaw
For some people life can be like Murphy's Law
To his bouts of depression poor Joe is resigned
Of late he does not feel content in his mind.

If Women Were Running Governments

If women were running governments there would be less wars to fight
And far less emphasis on the superiority of might
Though sadly some women in positions of power like aggressive male leaders behave
Aggression like war mongering males they carry with them to the grave
But only a minority of women behave in this way
Women in a whole are less egotistical and aggressive than males are one might say
Among the war criminals of human history the names of very few women you will find
And plenty of males who have brought shame on themselves and human kind
And though the praises of egotistical males the impressionable do sing
Arrogance and aggression in most parts is mostly a male thing
Aggressive males like the weeds of the garden stifle every flower
We do need more females in governments in positions of power
As the leading criminals in human history males lead the way
That us males in general far more aggressive than females only true for to say.

Compared To Them

I may never be quite secure in ways financially
But i have never known what it feels like to live in poverty
And my hearing okay and i have good eyes to see
The beauty of Nature that is all around me
Of years i have reached the three score and ten
Said to be on average the life span of women and men
Some i went to school with not living today
The lady of luck must be smiling my way
For many survival is a constant fight
So many poor people are homeless tonight
Trying to sleep on a board or concrete floor without blankets or bed
In a disused factory or a draughty old shed
Compared to them i feel quite lucky indeed
Since of any of life's comforts i am not in need.

For Australian Farmers

For Australian farmers a poor financial year
Of the woes that beset them we read of and of hear
Of locust and mouse plagues and flooding and drought
In the age of Climate Change among the rural community of a future in farming much doubt

In the drought stricken paddocks the ground cracked and dry
In numbers the rabbits seem to multiply
Cattle and sheep losing weight and livestock prices down
A poorer farming community is bad news for every rural town

In parts of the country crops being destroyed by flash flooding the weather acting strange
But this is to be expected in a time of Climate Change
Not a great future for Australian farmers in the twenty first century
Many land owners feeling the stress of financial poverty

In 2016 and 2017 in Australia Nationwide
Many farmers due to financial bankruptcy have committed suicide
Out of the woes that beset them they could not see a way
They feel that they have failed their families when their bills they cannot pay

For Australian farmers tough times and more tough time ahead
And due to financial stress sad to say some of them are now dead
The weather against them and acting quite strange
And vermin and insect plagues in a time of Climate Change.

Miranda

Miranda knows the words of many an old song
And at the R S L club on a Saturday evening she always leads in the sing along
Her husband a war veteran died two years ago
He was a brave fellow the honorable Joe
In her early eighties the war hero's wife
Loves music, song and dancing and is one who loves life
One who is aging with grace her hair silver gray
She is one who makes the most of every day
The life of every party that she does attend
Miranda is one who has many a friend
Ten times a grandmother she does not feel old
And for one of her years attractive to behold
For sadness in her mind there is not any space
She always does have a big smile on her face.

Those Who Can Readily Smile

A smile to a passing stranger does not cost one a thing
And to some lonely person brief joy it may bring
Laugh and the World laughs with you as the wise one does say
The one who is happy brings joy to your day
The happy person does have the inner glow
And is the one others do wish of to know
The one without laughter has darkness of mind
And to feelings of self pity can be readily inclined
The one who can laugh at self is quite lucky indeed
Of therapy she or he is never in need
Some do feel morose when things are not going their way
And never smile at anyone and wish them a good day
To be nice to others never cost any money why otherwise pretend
Those who can readily smile are never short of a friend.

This Beautiful Old City Of Warrnambool

In the mostly blue sky just a few clouds of gray
It is indeed a very nice Autumn day
Where the Merri flows into the Pacific near Lady Bay
A mother with her two young children in the shallows splash and play

A weather temperature high for the day of twenty degrees
With a nice freshening coolness in the ocean breeze
Young women in small groups walking the concrete pathway by the sea taking in the evening air
Enjoying the Autumn sunshine the breeze tossing their hair

The warbling songs of the magpies such a joy for to hear
On a beautiful day for the time of year
The parks lush and green after the recent rain
With such pleasant weather how can one complain

For hang gliding and surfing the weather just right
In Warrnambool coastal waters quite a common sight
People who enjoy water sports having some fun
Hang gliding and surfing in the wind and sun

Of such beauty good memories for years do stay
Earthly utopia from here cannot be far away
Where the weather is often sunny and breezy and never too cool
In this beautiful old City of Warrnambool.