Are You One Who

Are you one who believes in life after death
That your soul will leave your body when you draw your last breath
And from Planet Earth unseen in wings fly
To a beautiful Land somewhere beyond the sky
For to live forever more in a beautiful place
Without the challenges of living on Earth having to face
Where no one for success ever compete
And only happy souls you ever does meet
A Paradise of love free of war and greed
Where anyone of anything is never of in need
The rewards of living a good life you will receive
This is what you do live for and believe
To your god you do regularly kneel for to pray
You have faith and hope i wish i felt this way.

Many Kilometres North

Many kilometres north of his home country town
Feeling depressed and financially down
And feeling homesick for his home far away
Though as poor in the poor suburb he will stay
Four years ago he left his home in the south
But things in life for him have not worked out
Two years ago from a building site scaffold he took a bad fall
Lady luck has not been with him at all
That he was not an insured worker he had not realized
The heavy fall has left him semi paralyzed
He feels he is lucky that he is alive
Though on disability benefits he does survive
Though homesick he will not return to his home in the south
Since stories of success he does not have to tell about.

Working Class People

Though on the wrong side of the social divide
They can feel proud of themselves the working class people Worldwide
Since they are the builders and souls of every village, city and town
In the working class struggles stories of renown
To working class heroines and heroes your toasting glass raise
Since their contributions are only worthy of praise
Without working class people there would not be a billionaire
This is something that most people of would be aware
Without working class women and men humanity would not survive
It is on their contributions that economies thrive
So let us hear it again a loud hip hooray
For the working class men and women of today
And though many of them a just reward for their working endeavours never does reap
Without their contribution every Country's economy would fall in a heap.

The Best That You Can Be

Success can be relative would you not agree
But you can only be the best that you can be
Leave it to others for their ideas of success to compete
In life you have your own challenges for to meet
Others may have their opinions on you
But the bset you can be is the best you can do
Many badly flawed people among the most successful of the town
Who on their way to the top did drag others down
So many for themselves trying to make a name
Competing with each other for success and fame
Better for to give such competitions a miss
You do not need for to be part of this
You too of life's cares like others not free
But you only can be the best that you can be.

Jackdaws

Long before time it did become my foe
In Ireland where i lived a long time ago
Of some of their habits i did get to know
Jackdaws a small breed of Eurasian crow

Birds in feathers of black and gray
That i did hear and did see every day
Of human beings they were never too shy
They would allow you to come close to them before they would fly

In Spring they liked to adorn their stick nests with coloured things
Such as small beads and bits of jewellery and shiny rings
Many househoders did look on them as a pest
As on chimney tops some of them liked to build their stick nest

And when the room of the fire range did fill up with smoke
To the angry householder this was not a joke
And they cursed the small corvids in black and gray
Since to clean their chimneys a chimney sweep they had to pay

Compared to most species of corvids in size they seem small
And different in their voices with more vary in their call
Jackdaws i knew of a long time ago
Long before time it did become my foe.

The Curlews

How pleasant for to hear the male curlew sing
Above the moorland in the prime of the Spring
The male sings his beautiful flute like territorial and courtship song
Such beauty that to Nature does only belong
Big gray mottled brown birds of ways of their own
For their bubbling flute like song they are widely known
With thin long curved bills for probing for their food in boggy and sandy ground
And their three to four blotched green eggs in the rank grass always hard to be found
Of their three to four chicks they always take good care
Of egg incubation and chick rearing the male and female share
At their breeding Season none to them is a friend
And their eggs and young with aggression they always defend
In the northern moorlands in April to June every year
The flute like song of the curlews one often does hear.

The Great Equalizer

You may be a big company director in your chauffeur driven car
But to life's reaper it does not matter of how wealthy you are
For you billionaire there is no hiding from the one who wields the scythe of death
The one who is the great equalizer eventually cuts from all the living breath
The one who treats every life as equal and makes no exception of fame
The reaper of lives is a fair one who treats every life as the same
From death for you there is no hiding eventually some night or day
The one who makes all people equal will surely come reaping your way
Your gift of life death will claim from you with money life's reaper cannot be bought
Your money and worldly possesions for you eventually will come to nought
What is of great value to the living is not of any worth to the dead
Death is always the great equalizer and of  everyone a last day ahead
You may be known Worldwide and famous and many times a billionaire
But the reaper of lives will come reaping and your life will surely not spare.

When The Currawongs Are Singing

As forecasters of rain and storm they do never get it wrong
The dark birds of the wooded high country known as the pied currawong
When the currawongs are singing you can bet that rain is near
Their distinctive currawonging is quite pleasant for to hear
Dark crow sized birds with white tips on tails with greenish yellow eyes
Of changes in the weather for the worse they realize
The weather may be sunny it may be a pleasant day
But when the currawongs are singing you know that storm and rain is on the way
From eating the fruits of mistletoe and prickly pears in their droppings they spread the noxious weeds about
Not the favourite birds of farmers, gardeners or ornithologists in this great land of the south
They are known to be nest robbers and on nestling birds do prey
And few people of pied currawong does have nice things to say
But they are marvellous weather forecasters when them singing you do hear
You can safely bet your money that storm and rain is near.

I Will Not Be Climbing Clara

This Summer i will not be climbing Clara on an evening in July
When the brown skylarks are singing in the blue and sunny sky
Overlooking Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra and the countryside for kilometers around
There is so much natural beauty when viewed from the higher ground

When the tiny blue whortleberries of the heather are ripened for to eat
To the taste buds of the palate they make for a tasty treat
It is an old age tradition going back the decades of time
That people climb the Boggeragh mountains for the whortleberries when Summer is in it's prime

From the slopes of Clara mountain on a clear and sunny day
The views are quite breathtaking of places from there far away
Around the Cork and Kerry border such amazing scenery
Beyond Rathmore and Gneeveguilla and the high fields of Knocknagree

I often climbed Clara mountain when my hair it was dark brown
Overlooking the green countryside and the houses and streets of Millstreet Town
But the tiny blue berries of the heather i may never again eat
To the taste buds of the palate they do make a tasty treat.

I Am Quite Lucky

I am quite lucky in many a way
In the beautiful things i do see every day
The beauty of Nature everywhere around me
It is true that the best things in life they are free
In March in Autumn bone dry every drain
And though the brown and dry countryside is in need of some rain
With such pleasant weather it seems hard to complain
But the reason some farmers are unhappy it's own self does explain
Since they are obliged to feed their hungry livestock hay
In drought conditions farmers at a financial loss every day
With families to care for and bills for to pay
The weather in their lives a huge part does play
Still the best things in life i believe to be free
The beauty of Nature it is all around me.

Father Emu At Tower Hill

If you visit Tower Hill in Spring you may see
Father emu and his young family
By his side slowly walking along
In the emu family love's bond it is strong
Mother emus on ground nest their big dark green eggs lay
Though no other part in parenting they do play
Father he hatches to life and raises the chicks on his own
For any female to help him in any way it is not known
Emu chicks with stripes of brown through the light gray
From their devoted father are never far away
He calls them to him if he senses danger around
Using his guttural throaty warning sound
If you visit Tower Hill in Spring you may see
Proud father emu and his family.

Traveller Jim

Everyone has a lfe story for to tell
Though few biographies published in book form for to sell
To the reading public interested only in the life stories of people of wealth and fame
Publishers only publish books on one with a famous name

The amazing life stories of many people in book form will never be told
And as strangersto fame they are left to grow old
I know of such a person his name is Traveller Jim
I have never known anyone quite as adventurous as him

I cannot say i have known of a more well travelled man
In Colac Victoria his journey in life began
In September in the Spring of nineteen fifty three
Since he began travelling in is late teens many Countries he did see

He has been all around Australia been in India, China, Indonesia and Pakistan
And travelled in Russia and for awhile lived in Japan
Travelled all over Europe been in Africa, Canada and the U S of A
Quite a well travelled fellow of him one might say

Been to the Arctic and Antarctic travelled in South America from north to south
A man who has seen so much and knows what life is about
I last met him two years ago on the Melbourne to Warrnambool train
I have not seen him since then and may never see him again.

In Illowa Today

Far south of the fields where the waterways meet
In the green countryside near the Town of Millstreet
In the coastal freshening breeze white butterflies play
And the magpies are singing in Illowa today
March in the Moyne Shire such a nice time of year
The blue and gray sky often sunny and clear
In the coastal countryside between Koroit and Warrnambool
The Autumnal weather is pleasant and never too warm or too cool
On this nice Autumn evening of twenty degrees
The songs of the pee wees carrying in the breeze
And with the sun on their wings in the blue and gray sky
Above the brown paddocks the dark swallows fly
Far south of the fields of the rook and gray crow
Where Finnow the white river to the Blackwater flow.

Ignore Them

Of your sensitive feelings they are not aware
Since they are not the type about others who care
From being unkind in their words to others pleasure they derive
Out of knowing their cruel words are painful they mentally thrive
They realize that your mind it is not made of stone
But if you ignore their taunts they will leave you alone
To pick on they will find one other than you
Sadistic people in their words mental damage like to do
In sensitivity their sort ony weakness does see
Ignore their put down words and they will leave you be
People without compassion or empathy can be verbally cruel
Your sensitivity to their put down words to them is mental fuel
In your sensitivity only weakness they does see
Ignore them and eventaually they will leave you be.

On John Clare

Since he lived in time many decades have gone
But in his love and Nature poetry his fame does live on
His love of Mary Joyce in his poems is living today
Though his love of her was unrequited in truth one can say

His wife's name was Patty the son of Parker Clare
He was a true poet and his type are rare
John Clare's name more famous than the Village of Helpston where he first saw light of day
He was one with words who surely did have a way

The man who in his poetry glorified Nature of the English countryside
Nowadays as a poet through his poems known Worldwide
For years an inmate of Northampton Asylum where in his seventieth year he died
That he was a great poet of him cannot be denied

Mental illness did rob him of a happy and better life
So sad for his children and for Patty his devoted wife
You read his poems once and you will read them again
His great poem 'I Am' as the poem of mental illness remain

In his lifetime for him never a street parade
Yet his bird and animals poems of true greatness were made
He grew to love Nature as a herd boy
And his poetry to humanity remains as a gift of joy.

The Rufous Songlark

Mottled brown wings, tail, back and head, rufous rump, spotted breast and unders of light gray
Quite distinctive from other grassland birds in their way
In their breeding Season the males fly around their territory in a territorial display
In open grassy wooded country known to be nomadic those who know of them does say

In their breeding Season from August to April the female bird lay
Three to four white eggs with pink speckles in high grass hidden away
Birds familiar to many country people in their loud melodious song
That from once seen and once heard you never again should get wrong

Birds that are to be seen in the wooded countryside
And they have a huge range Australia wide
Of the grassland birds of Australia not among the better known
Since they are quite wary of humans and have ways of their own

Nomadic in their ways those who know of them say
Of Nature we learn something new every day
Songbirds you will not see in any town or city park
cinclorhampus mathewsi Australia's rufous songlark.

My Wonder Of Nature

My wonder of Nature only grow and grow
Yet so little about her i can claim of to know
I learn something new of her every day
That in life we never stop learning it does seem this way

Though of Nature every day we do learn something new
Her wonders are many and her secrets not few
Of her i know little i have come to realize
Though this in itself is not any surprise

 Those who say they know all that is to know about Nature are not very wise
Self delusional people who believe their own lies
Some people in their words themselves do deceive
That we learn as we live i can only believe

The beauty in Nature to view it is free
It is all around you and it is all around me
The one who from a tiny seed creates a beautiful flower the artists and writers inspire
And about her there is so much for to admire

Though all things of Nature on them have a use by date
Such unrivalled beauty that she does create
The one with the power for to regenerate
And the one that the masses ought to celebrate.

I Hope To Be Doing It

I am one who has written a whole heap of rhyme
Just old fashioned stuff over decades of time
Since for it i never receive any money as pay
Some have advised me for to give it away
But their sort of advice i do choose to ignore
And to my growing numbers of rhymes every day i add more
That it is something i love doing this i won't deny
To those who say why i keep on rhyming i enjoy doing it is my reply
I never refer to myself as a poet
This is a title to those worthy of literary note
Addicted to rhyming is how i seem to be
It was my love of rhyme made a rhymer of me
If i said i would quit rhyming this would be a lie
As i hope to be doing it on the day i do die.

Time The Immortal

The saying time does not wait for anyone it's own self does explain
It is everyone's master and as such will always remain
It brings to an end the life of the poor one and the life of the billioanaire
Time that rusts iron any life does not spare
The greats of human history to time have gone
And on the lives of the living it keep ticking on
The Seasons of Nature do come and do go
And that time is immortal happens to be so
Time that brings change does never stand still
It's hands keep on turning as they always will
The centuries of Seasons and years it does span
It has been around since life on Earth began
The greats of human history from life have gone
But time the immortal does keep ticking on.

Old Jimmy

Of the struggles of life he is one who has known
All old Jimmy asks of life is a home of his own
He lives in a cheap one bedroom apartment that in Winter is cold
Not comfortable to live in for one who is growing old

In a car crash in her early thirties he lost Kate his wife
She was the only true love of his life
She was pregnant with their to be first baby who with her did die
That bad things sometimes happen to good people is not a lie

A roof tiler in his early forties he was badly injured when off of a roof he did fall
It seems that luck it is not on his side at all
One can say he is not one of the luckiest of men
He has been on a disability pension since then

Jimmy never remarried as single he did stay
True love it did never again come his way
By bad luck of love and happiness he was denied
And time it is no longer on his side

In his late seventies he walks with a cane's assistance his health on the fail
The hard life on him showing he looks old and frail
Of the good times and bad times in life he has known
And all he wishes for now is a home of his own.

For The Clinically Depressed

From their bouts of melancholia medication only a temporary release
People with clinical depression are on the increase
In the twenty first century of the internet and the Iphone
Many with clinical depression face life's challenges alone
Those with clinical depression are no longer rare
Mental conditions does not ignore the millionaire
It is a lifetime sentence to be unwell of mind
It would be a cruel one who could not feel some sympathy for their kind
From clinical depression there is nowhere to hide
Some who have been affected by it have ended their lives in suicide
Though on medication their melancholia was great
Their darkness of mind it did seal their fate
Of their dark moods some of them are never free
For the clinically depressed how sad life must be.

For Those With Social Phobia

At parties and social gatherings they feel out of place
Such occasions for them a huge challenge to face
For those with social phobia how tough life must be
They are to be pitied would you not agree
Never feeling comfortable in the social crowd
Whilst others are laughing and talking out loud
The one with social phobia by silence is bound
Never comfortable with so many strangers of her or of him all around
Of being shy and over sensitive they do appear
And even the thought of being present at social gatherings they fear
They find it a struggle for to make a friend
When they say that they do not like parties they do not pretend
One for them only can feel sympathy
Of their social phobia they will never be free.

Sad To Say

Sad to say we will always have the material and social divide
And sad to say that the gap between the rich and the poor does keep growing wide
So many poor people in life doing it tough
Whilst the privileged few of life's luxuries have far more than enough
In humanity there is so much inequality indeed
In a fair Human World anyone of shelter and food of would not go in need
The majority of the material wealth of the World is owned by the few
And this is not saying anything that is new
But death makes all equal in truth one can say
There are not any billionaires where dead people lay
And though anyone does not see Life's Reaper as a friend
The one who wields the scythe of death makes all equal why otherwise pretend
The gap between the wealthy and the poor does keep growing by the day
And this is a sad thing for to have to say.

In My Younger Years

In my younger years near the Town of Millstreet
In the green countryside where the waterways meet
I grew to love the natural World around me
Good memories of what was today live in me
I grew to love Nature long before i reached my physical prime
And this is going back many Seasons in time
In Spring in the flat rushy fields near where Finnow waters flow
Concealed from view the shy male pheasants did crow
To be polygamous is their natural way
In fatherhood the male pheasant any part never play
Of Nature i was learning something new every day
In life that we never stop learning seems true for to say
And today so little of Nature i realize i know
Far south of the fields where Finnow waters flow.

The Buff Banded Rail

With mottled brown back and wings , dark barred unders, buff head and breast and under throat gray
They are birds that i do not see every day
Though quite distinctive once seen to recognize them you will never again fail
Rallus philipensis better known as the buff banded rail
On scrub patches and long grass near water from predators they hide
Quiet and secretive birds of the countryside
If they sense that danger to them is anywhere near
Into the thick cover they are quick to disappear
Five to eight pale spotted pink and brown eggs the female bird lay
In grass cup nest in heavy cover well hidden away
Not among Australia's better known birds since them one does not often see
They are quite shy and wary and like their privacy
Quite beautiful to look at and once seen you never again fail
For to recognize them the buff banded rail.

Quite Good Enough

Since the hard work you do it is not matched by pay
You do wish that you could give the job away
The sole earner in your household your partner and three children on you depend
On saying you find life tough you are not one to pretend

Recently when you asked the boss for a raise in pay his answer to you
Was if you are not satisfied with your wages the company without you can do
And in a town of few jobs where many are unemployed
You must work hard for low wages and swallow your pride

As one of the town's hard working poor you deserved to be admired
Every work day you get up for work early and in the evening go home feeling tired
But with hope you are one who does keep the faith
And as is said all good things come to those who do wait

To your partner and children you are their best friend
And on low take home pay you have little money on your self for to spend
But you do hang in there though life on you is tough
And as a person you are quite good enough.

Such A Beautiful Person

Dark haired and pretty about her she has a nice way
The beautiful woman that i met today
Her husband he has in her a lovely wife
Some men do have all the good luck in life
Not one with an air of self importance or guile
A beautiful person with a beautiful smile
Tough times in life she has had to face
But for sadness in her mind there is not any space
Just an acquaintance i often does not see
But meeting her always does bring joy to me
In life i have been lucky in truth i can say
On the nice people i meet every day
Such a beautiful person quite free of conceit
She is one i always feel happy to meet.

In Your Moments Of Maudlin Nostalgia

In your moments of maudlin nostalgia have you shed private tears
As you thought of the past and the long gone happy years
When with your young friends childhood games you did play
In the groves and the parks of the town far away
Until the wanderlust beckoned and you answered it's call
And your friends and original family you farewelled them all
Your future it was for to be lived elsewhere
So you went to see life in the big World out there
The clock on your life does keep on ticking fast
And you often does think of your friends of the past
And wondered about them and of how they might be
It has been many years since them you last did see
The good memories of what was in you does live on
And sometimes you shed private tears for days in the long gone.

In Nature There Is Always

In Nature there is always beauty to see
The sunlight on the glossy green leaves of the tree
With the sun on their dark wings chirping as they fly
The swallows chasing flying insects in the blue and gray sky
White butterflies seemingly dancing in the breeze
Pink blossoms in Spring on the fruit bearing trees
The beautiful colours of wild blooming flowers
That bloom in the sun after life giving showers
The artists and writers Nature does inspire
And of singing her praises one never could tire
The creator of magic of her one can say
Her beauty is all around us every day
In Nature there is so much beauty to see
As is said of the best things in life they are free.

For Attention With Each Other

At social and community gatherings where people do meet
For attention with each other many do compete
Miss Pretty looks well with the tints in her hair
She feels that than her there is none quite so fair

Mr Swell looks quite well in white shirt and blue tie
But as is said of appearance sometimes it does lie
He feels that he is god's gift to woman kind
To too much love of self he seems rather inclined

At the community gathering or attention seeking night
The town's social climbers compete for the limelight
In the age of the selfie it is only true to say
That many love self in a very big way

In the early twenty first century the competition for attention between people is rife
In this cyber age it has become part of life
The look at me syndrome does seem the in thing
So many their own praises willing to sing

As always few things in life ever does last
The days of humility are of the past
At community and social gatherings where people do meet
For attention with each other many compete.

Though Some Tell Me

Though some tell me writing without pay is a waste of time
I feel that i am one who was born to pen rhyme
One reason i add to my numbers of rhymes every day
Without recognition or any hope of pay
For many years i have been a rhyming buff
And i am one who has written pages of stuff
To write rhyme is so easy as easy as can be
So easy to many and easy to me
I penned my first rhymes back in nineteen seventy three
As a fellow of rhyme i have a long history
With words i am one who just loves for to play
And though i have been advised for to give rhyming away
If i said that i would quit rhyming this would be a lie
Since i hope to be doing it until the day i do die.

The Blackwater River

Home to badger and rook and the silver backed crow
The flat rushy fields where the Blackwater flow
On it's way through Duhallow in north Cork towards Youghal sixty kilometers or more
To join with saltwater at the Atlantic shore

The Blackwater in full flood is an amazing sight
It submerges acres of countryside around flowing at a great height
All of the waterways of  Sliabh Luachra, Duhallow, north and east Cork it receives on it's ocean going way
Flowing with a loud babble by night and by day

At Nature's amazing creations our wonder only does grow
How old are the rivers would anyone know
They were very old before the birth of the first woman and man
Long before nthe age of the dinosaurs began

Some stories not born out of a source of joy
That i heard of the Blackwater when i was a boy
Around the fire grate on Winter nights old timers did tell
Of the people who drowned in big floods and of the people who lost many animals as well

From it's source in Sliabh Luachra by a Boggeragh hill
It's voice grows to a loud babble that is never still
To the Atlantic near Yoghal it flows night and day
Through the flat rushy country from it's source far away.

Kate Bago

In her early fifties Kate big Bill Bago's wife
She does have a face that is saddened from life
They had one offspring six years ago their son Dave
From a drug overdose went to an early grave
In Kate's light brown hair there are some strands of gray
And clearly she has known of a better day
The death of her son to her a terrible loss
In life she has been burdened with a heavy cross
Her husband Bill  with his mates of the local football team's fan club
After work he spends a few hours drinking at the local pub
And she sits at home alone watching t v
How lonely and sad for some life seems to be
For her years slim and attractive there can be little doubt
But in her life she has much for to feel sad about.

Goldfinches Are Singing In Illowa Today

Just hearing them singing in the backyard today
Their twittering songs take me to a place far away
In groves of Duhallow in Summer's prime
Their kin birds i heard singing many a time
Of red around faces, fawn unders and backs and wing tips of gold
Small twittering songbirds quite beautiful to behold
Quite unmistakeable in their appearance and song
Once seen and once heard you never again get them wrong
In Illowa in March in the Autumn sunshine
Goldfinches are singing favourite birds of mine
Their ancestors introduced from Europe to this land of the south
That they are quite beneficial as the eaters of seeds of noxious weeds there can be little doubt
The sun shining bright  in a sky blue and gray
And the goldfinches are singing in Illowa today.

It Does Speak Every Language

It does speak every language why otherwise pretend
The one with plenty of money is never short of a friend
That the poor have few friends only true for to say
Money speaks every language it is always this way
Those who are homeless and poor without a motor car
Are the people who truly know who their friends are
And though the friends of the wealthy in numbers may grow
Of who their friends are they will never know
There is only one thing worse than being wealthy and unhappy would you not agree
And that is to be unhappy and living in dire poverty
They will never have many friends as few wish to know of the financially down
The poor who do live on the poor side of the town
It is when you are very poor and cannot even afford a cheap old used car
That you come to know of who your true friends are.

How Great To Be Living

Make the most of your young years time ticks on and on
At the stroke of midnight today will have gone
And who is to know what tomorrow will bring
The future remains as an uncertain thing
The young person may expect to outlive an ageing one like me
But in life as is said there is no guarantee
The Reaper of lives may come reaping your way
And ignore the one who is ageing and gray
Children playing in the park playground enjoying their fun
And running about in the warm evening sun
Perhaps as happy now as they ever will be
Their laughter tells of them of cares they are free
In the warm winds of Autumn white butterflies play
How great to be living on such a nice day.

Of Nature

The years have left me ageing balding and gray
But of Nature i learn something new every day
Yes every day of her i learn something new
For to say this i am not one of a few
It is true of Nature she has ways of her own
And so much about her remains as unknown
Yet the more i learn of her the more i realize
That i know little of her this is not a surprise
Her Mother Earth is the one who does feed all
Every living creature from the great to the small
Us humans do depend on her for to live
Yet we take and take from her and in return to her little give
And of her i do learn something new every day
That we never stop learning it does seem this way.

Pink Eared Ducks

In flat coastal shallow lakes them sometimes you will see
Wild ducks not familiar to many and not familiar to me
With fleshy lobes under bill and pink around ears and overall brown mottled gray
Birds i know of and have seen but do not see every day

To be different in their looks and on their ways to others their main claim to fame
Pink eared ducks for them is their common name
Not trusting of humans and in their ways quite shy
At the approach of an animal or person they are quick to fly

On nest of down in log stump or bush over water the female bird lay
Five to eight eggs white to a pale gray
Their nesting sites they are quite good to disguise
Always well hidden from predators eyes

Though so little about them i can claim to know
My wonder of them only does seem to grow
Nomadic in their ways they do move around
But on lakes where they are seen in large numbers they often abound

Once seen them you never again could get wrong
To the dabbling duck family they do belong
Pretty to look at and nomadic in their way
For long periods in any one place they do not stay.

Only Comes From Within

For to make the World better to live in
With your own self you do have for to begin
To be kind to others it is never a sin
The power to do good only comes from within
Any favour done for anyone is never too small
Yes the power to do good it is in us all
For the kindness you show to others karma you will repay
What goes around comes around karma works in this way
Those who believe we should live for self only believe their own lie
They live in poverty of mind and in poverty of mind they will die
So many poor people in life doing it tough
And many of the privileged minority with money and material possessions far more than enough
With others their worldly possessions unwilling to share
And sadly the kind and compassionate are becoming more rare.

How Come

How come wherever people do meet
For attention with each other many compete
The humble overlooked it is always this way
The look at me syndrome alive and well today
Though without the egotistical there would not be a show
Since many World renowned entertainers are egotistical this much of them we know
They would surely not be known and have fans Worldwide
If due to humility the talents they were born with they kept ahide
Love of self it has become such an egotistical thing
So many in the World of today their own praises does sing
Suppose in them for recognition there is this great need
Though at becoming wealthy and famous only few do succeed
In the early twenty first century self promotion is the in thing
Their own praises so many all too willing to sing.

It Takes A Brave Fellow

It takes a brave fellow to smile in defeat
And say by the better one i have been beat
And not make excuses and of the winner say
The better man by far did win on the day
Though losing is a thing anyone would not choose
For one for to win others do have to lose
But the loser with a smile that the winner on his win congratulate
In his own noble way is an unsung great
It takes a brave fellow though in defeat feeling down
To walk with a smile on the streets of the town
And despite disappointment say hope in him is not dead
Of happier times and a big win of him ahead
And though of his dream of winning he did not succeed
To smile in defeat it takes a brave one indeed.

Magpie Larks Or Pee Wees

A voice quite familiar to many and me
The voice of the magpie lark or the pee wee
Black and white mud nesting birds i do see every day
From where humans are they are never far away
Once seen and once heard birds you never again can get wrong
They call out pee wee in their familiar song
A cup shaped mud nest lined with grass mostly on branch of a tree
The female lay pink speckled pale eggs at most only three
When the male and female sing as a duet they are quite pleasant to hear
And you hear them quite often every day of the year
Of Australian birds among the better known
The endearing magpie larks have a charm of their own
They are birds every day one does hear and does see
And due to their song many refer to them as pee wee.

Your Dog's Love For You

Your faithful dog your unconditional friend
Will love you unconditionally until your's or it's life end
You may lose the love of your partner or wife
But the love and friendship of your dog is for life
A walk every day a few nice words a few pats and a good feed
For it's unconditional love is all your dog of  you does need
In defense of their masters brave dogs have died
You have a true friend with your dog at your side
All human loves and friendships are conditional is how it seems to be
But your dog it does love you unconditionally
You treat your dog right and as your true friends it does remain
Why dogs are known to be more faithful than humans the facts does explain
You may lose the love of  your partner or wife
But your dog's love for you it is always for life.

The Boys And Girls I Went To School With

The boys and girls i went to school with where might they be today
Like me some of them from Millstreet ageing far away
And where the deceased are some of them does lay
Time does not wait for anyone as the wise one does say
The boys and girls of the fifties i grew up with in Millstreet
Like me long past their prime years and them i may never more meet
We had fun together childhood games we did play
Good memories live in us and  and until death in us stay
I have not been in Millstreet for thirty one years
And for what used to be i have shed my last tears
But of my childhood friends fonds memories i retain
Of my boyhood friends who young in my visualizations remain
And on my flights of fancy i hear the birds sing
And the old fields are wearing their wildflowers of Spring.

For As Long As You Keep Dreaming

Your dream for you not coming true it may not be meant to be
Perhaps to be wealthy and famous not in your life's destiny
You are one of billions with dreams to pursue
Though few dreams as such ever known for to come true
But of a dream in life everyone is in need
Those without some dream for it the poorer indeed
In life we need something to aim for even when we are feeling down
There are dreamers aplenty in every city and town
When life on you is tough and you are losing hope
Your dream with your life's situation does help you to cope
The ageing fossicker dreams of finding a nugget of gold
Never give up on your dream though you may be old
Though your best days in life may be in the long gone
For as long as you keep dreaming hope in you lives on.

A Far Better Man Than Me

He is the quiet achiever who lives in his own way
And of himself he is one who has little for to say
Not into self promotion nowadays not a common thing
One who leaves it to others if his praises they wish to sing
A man who loves his children and is faithful to his wife
He works hard to support his family and he lives a moral life
In his local community he is never to the fore
Yet the one in need of helping he never does ignore
He is just your moderate drinker and not a fan of sport
And he does not have a football team for to lend to his vocal support
A man who loves and cares for his wife and family
And anyone in need of his help he does help willingly
For those who are doing it tough he feels great empathy
The humble quiet achiever is a far better man than me.

Old Joe

It has been awhile since he was in his physical prime
Some fifty years this is going way back in time
Old Joe only has the memories of his years of renown
When he was the best athlete in the town
At twenty nine he qualified for the Olympics but he could not compete
As he was hit by a car when crossing the street
A tragic accident that confined him to life in a wheelchair
On some people life can be very unfair
In his seventy eight year without a partner or children or wife
He is one who has been unlucky in life
As nice a person as one could wish to meet
Quite humble in his ways and free of conceit
The town's best athlete some five decades ago
But luck it has not been at all kind to Joe.

On Parliamentary Privilege

Behind their derogatory allegations in parliament they always do cower
Parliamentary privilege by politicians it can be used as an immoral abuse of power
By parliamentarians who say things under parliamentary privilege that are not in any way true
The parliamentarian who slanders in parliament the slandered one cannot sue
Parliamentary privilege where people make untrue allegations should never be
A false allegation should be libelious would you not agree
Parliamentarians who use parliamentary privilege to defame
Are surely doing their bit to give politicians a bad name
Those in parliament who demean and besmirch in their ways are so small
Sad to say there are not many nice parliamentarians at all
Not surprising that disrespect for politicians is at an all time low
Since disrespect for parliament under parliamentary privilege they only show
The moral abuse of  parliamentary privilege in parliament goes on every day
There are few honorable politicians in truth one can say.

With The Comparing Of People

With the comparing of people i do not agree
You can only be the best that you can be
In the Human World of today where people with each other compete
The humble of mind are becoming harder to meet
Why people crave attention one must wonder why
That we live in a success obsessed age one cannot deny
The look at me syndrome has spread Worldwide
The pump of the ego it is known as pride
The down to earth achiever one can only admire
The adulation of others they never desire
To boast of their success is never their thing
And they leave it to others their praises to sing
With the comparing of people i cannot agree
You only can be the best that you can be.

Australia The Beautiful

There are bright sunny days even when Winter is about
In Australia the beautiful Land of the south
For the holidaying tourist so much for to see
In the home of pittosporum and wattle and eucalypt tree

The Land of koala, wallaby, wombat and roo
And many species of parrots including cockatoo
And emu and cassowary big birds that cannot fly
And hawks, falcons and harriers and eagles including the wedge tailed the monarch of the southern sky

And small birds such as fly catchers, honeyeaters, pardalotes and thornbills with ways of their own
And the blue winged and laughing kookaburras as Australians well known
And species of frogmouths and nightgars and owls the hunters of the night
That by day rest in dark places out of the sunlight

And pittas, bowerbirds and gray and pied and black currawong
And the superb lyrebird in the bird World the greatest mimic of song
Human sounds and chainsaws and the birds of their neighborhood they imitate
There is so much in Australia for one to celebrate

Possums, gliders, bandicoots, pademelons quolls, numbats and tasmanian devils creatures nowhere else to be seen
You are missing out on so much if to Australia you have never been
The Land of an old race of people the inspiration of song, story and rhyme
The descendants of the legends of the dreaming time

Than beautiful coastal cities and beaches to Australia there is far more
In the variable scenery far inland from the ocean shore
In the flat and dry country wide open and brown
As you drive on the highway from country town to town

Australia from State to State of varying climatic degrees
In the high woodlands of the south east the mountain ash among the World's tallest trees
In this vast and amazing beautiful Land of the south
There is so much to see and for to talk about.

St Patrick's Day In Millstreet Town

Many years ago in Millstreet Town far away
We watched the parade on St Patrick's Day
When we were younger a long time ago
Long become time it did become our foe
Good memories of happy times in life never fade
The Millstreet Pipe Band always led the parade
As doubtless they do in Millstreet Town today
As they were some things do tend for to stay
Sometimes St Patrick's Day brought wind and rain
But people of this never seemed to complain
Though dry weather people of course would prefer
From watching the parade wind and rain them did not deter
Local businesses and sporting and social clubs on trucks and floats put on a display
Behind the Pipers Band on St Patrick's Day.

A Warm Day In March

The paddocks are brown and bare looking and dry
And no sign of rain in the blue and gray sky
The creek flowing in a trickle and bone dry every drain
This countryside could do with some heavy rain
Today warm and sunny yesterday cool with a strong breeze
A weather variation in one day of at least ten degrees
The weather for some while has been acting so strange
Perhaps these are symptoms of Climate Change
Yet on this beautiful March day white butterflies dance in the breeze
And the magpies are warbling on the sunlit trees
Yet no rain in the forecast though the land of rain is in need
And the farmers to their sheep and cattle hay now does feed
It is pleasant weather though many pray for rain
The water dams low and bone dry every drain.

Far Tougher Than You

Doubtless as you say life on you is quite tough
But compared to many you are lucky enough
You have a warm bed to sleep in and enough food for to eat
And for dinner you always have vegetables with fish or meat
That you are not an idler happens to be true
You are a hard working fellow for to give you your due
For your dependants you never fail to provide
That you are a good person of you it cannot be denied
At work for you there never is an easy day
Though no doubt you could do with a good rise in pay
That many have it far easier than you there's no doubt
As you are one who does know what the hard life is about
And though you say life is tough though your best you do
There are many who are doing it far tougher than you.

Power Is A Thing

Power is a thing that is misunderstood
The only people of power worth talking about are those who use their power to do good
Some people use their power in a destructive way
And far too many of their sort in the World of today
To a narcissistic people power can be a fuel
To those they look on as subordinate for to be cruel
To since this gives them pleasure they are sadistic of mind
Those who use their power in a good way are compassionate and kind
The materially wealthy person who has compassion is always willing to help those of helping in need
She or he makes a great difference to many and is a great person indeed
Better lives for many they are helping to create
Such people are entitled for to be called great
They use their power in a good way which is a great thing
And of their praises i feel happy to sing.

I Only Write Rhymes

I only write rhymes of the beauty i see
The beauty everyday that is all around me
With the sun on their dark wings in the blue and gray sky
In pursuit of flying insects the welcome swallows fly
Nature's wonders are many and her secrets not few
And her beauty we do not have to pay for to view
My wonder of her only does seem to grow
Yet so little of her ways i can claim of to know
For our lessons in Nature we do not have to pay
Yet of her we do learn something new every day
The one who from tiny seeds creates a mighty tree and a beautiful flower
Is the World's only natural super power
And though my worth as a rhymer i have reason to doubt
In Nature so much for to write rhymes about.

Their Power To Do Good

You can make the World better for to live in
And for compassion and kindness you can record a win
By leading by good example on your side of the town
And in your words never put anyone down
Good people to help others always go out of their way
And help those in need of helping without expecting pay
Their compassionate Nature compels them to help those of helping in need
And of their future good Karma they keep planting the seed
The love they have in them with others they share
But sadly their sort are becoming more rare
Though of their kindness and compassion we never hear of or read
It is by good example they always does lead
They are helping to make the World better to live in
And their power to do good only comes from within.

Bad People

People to each other can be very cruel
And some who have power sadly abuse their rule
In wars crimes against humanity are happening today
When bad people abuse their power in a bad way
In the perpetrators of serious crimes lack of empathy and compassion are to blame
All murderous criminals live without a sense of shame
The taking of human lives to them comes as easy as the killing of flies
But what goes around comes around they fail to realize
Few wars ever do end without great loss of pride
The mass graves of war zones the sins of war criminals hide
But if human law for their crimes does not punish them eventually one day
To Karma for their sins they will have to pay
Because of them many good people in hidden mass graves do lay
But what goes around comes around as a truism stay.

The Person That You Really Are

You may never have been a hero in war
Or you may only be driving a cheap second hand car
Or never be revered as an elite sports person in places afar
But feel proud of the person that you really are
You support love and care for your partner and family
Success can be relative would you not agree
You have never wronged anyone in any sort of a way
And you work very hard for your every take home pay
And though you will never be one of the admired even on your side of the town
In your words you never put anyone down
For your future good karma you do plant the seed
And of many more of your sort the human World is in need
On the material success ladder you may not have climbed far
But this does not tell us of the person that you really are.

For To Battle The Odds

Born into life for to battle the odds
They are the children of the lesser gods
Homeless and hungry on Poverty Street
The challenge of survival everyday they do meet

By the judgmental expected to fail
Their parents for drug offenses confined in jail
Strangers to love and to happiness
Survival for them their idea of success

Like their parents in prison they may spend some time
As they too are involved in drugs and in crime
Street wise teenagers who only know of life as tough
Who steal for survival and have to live rough

They will never go to college or university
Or be awarded with any sort of a degree
On Poverty Street left to their own device
No one for to offer them good advice

Born to disadvantage and bad circumstance
For to succeed in life they stand little chance
Most of them to forty will not survive
Success to them is just to be alive.

Laughing Stan

He does live up to his nickname of Laughing Stan
The reason that he is such a well liked man
With a lovely wife and three young daughters a happy and a healthy family
That with laughter is the best of medicine  most would agree
In his mind for unhappiness there is not any space
He always does have a big smile on his face
He gets on well with people this is his way
Of anyone he never has a bad word to say
A down to earth hard working fellow free of conceit and guile
He greets everybody with a happy smile
On an out of sorts mood him i have yet to meet
He does carry joy with him whilst walking the street
Not surprising that he is such a well liked man
The Human World is in need of more like Laughing Stan.

Memories Of Claramore Wood

On evenings in Summer May, June and July
I often climbed to there in years long gone by
Claramore Wood at the foot of Clara Hill
On looking back the Seasons time for me stands still
In the cool of the evening the songbirds did sing
Such joy to the mind happy memories does bring
The past it does seem has followed me far south
Of the fields of the badger and waterways of the brown trout
To this place of  koala, echidna, wallaby and gray kangaroo
And white billed corella and yellow tailed black cockatoo
But in my flights of fancy again i do see
From high Claramore the fields of Knocknagree
And in Claramore Wood on an evening in Spring
As the sun is going down i do hear the birds sing

Great People Indeed

Every day for themseelves they plant Karma's good seed
The kind and compassionate are great people indeed
They practice the doing of good deeds every day
And to help others out do go out of their way
Always willing to help the homeless and hungry and the financially down
Though they remain as the unsung heroes of the town
They never seek recognition or wish to live with an honored name
Kind and compassionate people leave it to others to seek wealth and fame
For them there is never any street parade
Though a huge difference to humanity by their sort always made
Yet by their kindness and generosity some happiness to the poor they do bring
And of their praises i always feel happy to sing
The people who perform good deeds every day
Let us hear it for them a loud hip hooray.

Do You Retain Your Good Memories

Do you retain your good memories of your long gone years
And for the what used to be have you shed your last tears
Though time on your existence keeps ticking away
Good memories live on as the wise one does say

Do you ever think of your young school friends today
And of the childhood games with them that you used to play
Like them you grew up your dreams you did pursue
That we all have our life's journeys happen to be true

Perhaps many like me followed their dreams to elsewhere
To seek new adventure in the big World out there
Not everyone in the hometown choose to stay
And not everyone think and act in the same way

The boys and girls i went to school with in the town far away
Where the deceased are some of them does lay
Some of them travelled far and some of them at home did stay
And all of them like me surely showing time's decay.

In Port Fairy Town A Memorial Stone

Those who regret past wrongs they are not alone
In Port Fairy Town on Bank Street a memorial stone
In honor of the Indigenous people who were massacared In the Moyne coastal countryside
There are many things in human history without a source for pride
Men, women and children who died in the foulest way
Yet sadly such things are still happening in the Human World of today
Many Indigenous people of the coastal south west at the hands of the pioneers died
The shame of the past sins in unmarked graves the earth and sand does hide
The wrongs of the past many may wish to deny
That the truth can be confronting is the reason why
That bad things done by their race they would rather not talk about
To the Indigenous people In this Land of the south
In Port Fairy for the murdered Indigenous people a memorial stone
Those who regret the wrongs of the past they are not alone.

For Many People

In life every day for many people some new challenge for to face
For the poor and god forsaken it is hard to live with grace
In a World where ninety per cent of the wealth is owned by the few
This is something that is well know and not anything that is new
There are far too many people in the World of today
Who are homeless and quite hungry and  living in the toughest way
Many of them will not live to thirty though young they look frail and old
Forgotten even in life and their stories never to be told
Not a long walk from where the wealthy live people in extreme poverty
In this World us humans live in there is so much inequality
For those without homes to live in life's a battle every day
In a fair Human World to live in it would never be this way
Whilst the privileged have more than enough it does not seem at all right
That in the poor side of the city many are sleeping rough tonight.

Duhallow's Greatest

In his prime a World Champion stories of his greatness told
In Amsterdam and Los Angeles for hammer throwing he won Olympic Gold
Pat O' Callaghan of Derrygallon was the greatest of his time
The World's greatest hammer thower when in his glorious prime

In his prime the World's greatest no argument on that
Never again in Duhallow will there be one like the mighty Dr Pat
One who proved himself  a champion against the World's best
He was not found to be wanting when he was put to the test

In his prime against the World's best his own legend he did create
Never again in Duhallow will there be one quite so great
In Amsterdam and Los Angeles he achieved Worldwide fame
And in the history of the olympics his lives on as a great name

In his prime a dual Olympic Gold Medallist the mantle of greatness he did don
And though deceased for many years his legend does live on
In the World of hammer throwers the highest honors he did attain
In Duhallow there will never be one as great as him again

In the Olympic Stadiums in Amsterdam and Los Angeles where the cheering it was loud
The great hammer thrower from Derrygallon he did old Ireland proud
against the best in the World strength and courage he displayed
And the stories of his greatness to the decades do not fade.

In The Age Of Self Promotion

In the age of self promotion narcissism is on the rise
And that the humble are becoming rarer is not even a surprise
Online many sing their own praises and for attention do compete
And at community parties lots of attention seeking when the big egos do meet
That a healthy love of self does lead to love of others only happens to be true
And to those who love and respect other only respect and love are due
But narcissism it is different it is self love gone all wrong
And in the age of self promotion it keeps on growing ever strong
So many young people taking selfies with their mobile phones i see every day
That they do love self far too much of them only true to say
Self with them is an obsession their own praises they love to sing
Love of self when in the extreme for the mind an unhealthy thing
With many self adulation is the in thing though this is not what life should be about
In the age of self promotion humility is losing out.

Such A Beautiful Day

White butterflies above the brown paddocks play
On the second of March quite a beautiful day
The leaves on the deciduous trees not yet turning brown
In the coastal Moyne Shire near old Koroit Town
Though the dry countryside is in need of some rain
With such pleasant weather how can one complain
A weather temperature high for the day of a pleasant twenty two degrees
With a mild coastal breeze gently soughing in the trees
March in coastal south western Victoria can be a nice time of year
And the weather is often quite sunny and clear
In pursuit of flying insects chirping as they fly
Dark welcome swallows so gracefl to watch in the blue and gray sky
So good to be living is all i can say
On this second of March such a beautiful day.

On The Threat Of Nuclear War

Far too many Countries governments with nuclear weapons at their disposal in truth one can say
This is something we are not in need of in the World of today
No government should have nuclear weapons at their disposal government politicians from Hiroshima have not learned a thing
Of the praises of their nuclear capabilities many nuclear power leaders their own praises does sing
A nuclear war our great Earth Mother would surely survive
But from it there will not be many humans left alive
Ageing egotistical males with nuclear weapons at their disposal threatening each other every day
In their war of words it is a dangerous game they does play
Their egos bigger than their brains in truth one can say
For one mistake that would lead to nuclear war the price would be huge to pay
For all of humanity billions of people would die
Nuclear power leaders who boast they would be victorious in a nuclear war believe in their own lie
Far too many Countries with nuclear weapons under the control of egotistical ageing men
From the thousands of deaths in the nuclear attack in Japan there was nothing learned then.

My Sort Are Not Rare

I am just a rhymer my sort are not rare
From far northern fields of badger and brown hare
But in this great and sunny  Land of the far south
No shortage of subject material for to write rhymes about

To write rhymes so easy seems true for to say
Born for to write rhymes with me life is this way
With rhyming words one who does love for to play
Of Nature new rhymes to write of every day

From Nature we learn and her lessons are free
Her beauty every day is everywhere around me
Yet the more i learn of  her  the more i realize
That of her i know little this is not a surprise

How nice for to hear the calls of the weerloos
The big dark brown parrots better known as yellow tailed black cockatoos
And the flute like songs so pleasant to hear
Of the magpies who sing every day of the year

It is true about Nature her wonders not few
And of her every day we do learn something new
She surely is one who has ways of her own
And so much about her remains as unknown

If i said i am a poet this would be a lie
But as a rhymer i will be until the day i do die
One who has seen many Seasons and is showing the wear of time
It has been many years since i was in my life's prime.

What's Right From Wrong

You don't need a god to tell you what's right from wrong
Like the bird who does not need permission for to sing it's song
The sort of person you are in the thought processes of your mind are sown
As you are an individual with a mind of your own
You cannot be a good person if good by others you do not do
The sort of person you live as is all up to you
Sadly there are many in every village, city and town
Who on climbing the social ladder have dragged others down
It is not your job or swimming pool, big new home or car
That tell us of the person that you really are
And though you are quite successful in a material way
This of you as a person little does say
Just like it is not by the label you can judge the wine
By her or his material gains a person you cannot define.

Big George

For smiling he never will win any prize
And that he is not popular is not any surprise
That he may not have good hearing well may be so
Since he seems stuck for an answer to anyone who to him says hello
Big George has his own claim to local renown
As the surliest man on his side of the town
He does not have children or a partner or wife
In his mid twenties in the prime of his life
A giant of a man and one to be feared
With long curly black hair and fuzzy black beard
He is not the sort to go looking for fight
But anyone who has dared to challengs him after looked a sorry sight
He works hard and in the pub drinks on his own
And as a surly person he is only known.

In Some Of The Nice People

I have been rather lucky in truth one can say
In some of the nice people i meet with every day
People who bring me some joy in truth of them i can say
With a cheerful hello as they go on their way
Wherever you are in the park or on the street
Nice people are always a pleasure to meet
Moody people are never a pleasure to know
Since they are lacking in the inner glow
Where happy people are joy always abound
As they bring it with them and share it around
A smile and cheerful greeting to a stranger does not cost one a thing
Of the praises of happy people i feel happy to sing
Laugh and the whole World does laugh with you
Is something that only happens to be true.

I Often Does Think

I often does think of the people i will never more meet
Many of them live in Duhallow, Sliabh Luachra  and Millstreet
And many from Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra live far away
Among the many migrants of Ireland as i am today
Since i have been absent of time quite a span
From where i lived as a boy and a younger man
On my balding head the hair no longer dark brown
Nowadays i would be a stranger to many west of Millstreet Town
The beauty of youth by time is stripped away
The young of the nineteen sixties showing their years in gray
And some of them where the deceased are now lay
Feel grateful to see the dawn of every day
And only the memories with me now remain
Of people i know but may not meet again.

Jim Dunne He Was Waving

Jim Dunne he was waving it is facebook told me
But from where could not say since him i could not see
Was it from Murphy's Terrace near the Town of Millstreet
Many years have gone by since him i last did meet

Jim Dunne was a boy when i was a young man
His journey in life in Murphy's Terrace began
He now is a few decades past his life's prime
Eventually we all become victims of time

A quiet spoken fellow the likeable Jim
I only hope that life has been good to him
One of the nice people of the Town of Millstreet
In green old Duhallow where the waterways meet

When i last met Jim Dunne he was with Ted Cleary his friend
In Jimmy Cronin's Holiday House in Millstreet Town's West End
On going back the Seasons a long time ago
Perhaps some four decades this well may be so

The good memories live on of the what used to be
Jim Dunne he was waving though him i did not see
He is one i remember from Seasons long gone
And though time is our master the good memories live on.

She Said To Me

She said to me why do you write rhymes every day
Since for them you never receive any pay
You must be addictive in truth i can say
And perhaps it is time that you gave it away

It is true that addictions does come at a price
Though i lisetened to her  i won't be taking her advice
If  i  told her i would quit rhyming this would be a lie
Since i hope to be doing it until the day i do die

Of rhymers i know that there are quite a few
And this is not saying anything that is new
I am one who has written reams and reams of rhyme
Going back long gone Seasons more than four decades in time

She said to me clearly your best years are gone
But it puzzles me why you do keep rhyming on
The sun it was shining in the sky blue and gray
I thanked her for her advice and went on my way.

The Fellow Without Ruth

A poor enough fellow the man without  ruth
Myself only mater his often quoted truth
He is one who is lacking in empathy
For the poor of the World he feels no sympathy
No feelings as such for those doing it tough
The homeless and hungry and those living rough
He says if he thought like them like them he would be the same
For the hard lives they live they only have themselves to blame
The man without ruth says my partner and children i only care about
And i take no interest on the plight of the financially down and out
It is not my fault if they are how they are
If they do not have a job or a home or a car
The fellow without ruth of his own needs only aware
And sad to say his sort are not even rare.

The Last red Rose Of The Fall

On the grass her petals the last red rose of the Fall
As decaying food for insects destined to crawl
For as long as they live like the rose they too will die
The fate of the insects and the rose is the fate of you and i
In bloom a few weeks ago so lovely to see
The last red rose of Autumn on it's mother tree
It will be nine months at least in Summer of next year
Before new roses on the rose tree will appear
For every life form a last night and day
Beauty is born to eventually decay
But Nature the one who life helps for to create
For a while does go dormant only to regenerate
On all things of life Nature does have the say
The petals of the red rose on the brown grass does lay.

I Have Travelled A Bit

I have travelled a bit been in many a town
And have mixed with many races of black, white and brown
In every race there are good people as well as the bad few
And this is not saying anything that is new
If you treat people with respect they will treat you likewise
This is something that i have come to realize
Treat others as you would like them to treat you
Respect is a thing that must be shared by two
The Human World comprised as they say
Of the good and not so good that we meet every day
Though some i have known i would rather forget
A truly bad person i have never met
I have travelled a bit been in many a place
And mixed and worked with many people of many a race.

A Warm Day

The day it is warm over thirty degrees
And warmth in the sunshine and warmth in the breeze
That blow from the sea above paddocks dry, bare and brown
Between Warrnambool City and Koroit Town
The warm air full of the buzzing of bush flies and bees
And cattle sheltering from the sun in the shade of the trees
Yesterday was wet and  cool the weather acting strange
Perhaps these are the symptons of climate change
White butterflies make for a beautiful sight
Flitting about in the warm sunlight
A few days to breed they won't outlive the flowers
That go to decay in the cool Autumn showers
With the sun on their dark wings chirping as they fly
Welcome swallows chase flying insects across the sunny sky.

Time Will Not Wait

Time will not wait for you it did not wait for me
It keeps on ticking on from century to century
It rusts steel and iron and ages everything
But it's praises you never hear anyone sing
The longest lived human life in time is not a long span
A century of years makes for a very old woman or man
The Seasaons pass quickly beyond the human physical prime
One cannot stop the turning of the hands of time
The greats of human history to life has come to and from gone
But time that ages everything does keep ticking on
And eventually it does take care of all
Life forms including humans from the great to the small
Time will not wait for you as it did not wait for me
And eventually we die when-ever this will be.

One Of The Happier

One of those who does not do materially well
And of any success he does not have to tell
With two young children to support and a wife
He is one who does not have an easy life
With food and clothes to buy and a house mortgage and bills to pay
He has to work hard every working day
Yet in mood he is one who never seems down
He is one of the happier people of the town
Where happiness is he is not out of place
He always does have a big smile on his face
Of his lot in life he does never complain
The positive attitude he does retain
He says my wife and children are happy and healthy and life with me is okay
And i am so lucky in many a way.

In Nature New Lessons

In Nature new lessons for us every day
Yet of her i know little in truth i can say
There is more to her than the birds and the bees
And the soughing of the freshening wind in the trees
And there is more to her than rain and sunshine
Or of the darkness of grapes ready to pick for wine
She is quite amazing would you not agree
Amazing to many and amazing to me
The food we live on her Earth Mother for us does grow
Yet the respect she does warrant to her we never show
On the Earth that we depend on for to live
We take and we take and in return little give
We never does treat Nature as a dear friend
Yet it is her Earth Mother who feeds us why otherwise pretend.

Black Crickets

They do make their own enemies of this why pretend
Of the farmers and gardeners they are not a friend
During Summer they eat grass and growing vegetables every night and day
Costly to crop and grass growers of them one might say
In the paddocks and gardens the males singing one does hear
In the ground the female lay their eggs in late Summer of the year
In the sunshine quite pretty to look at in beauty they do not lack
Black crickets they are known as since they are shiny black
To say they have friends would be telling a lie
In the cool and wet weather of Autumn they die
But the next generation will hatch out is Spring
The cycles of Nature is an amazing thing
Though they only live a few months at the longest and die
To say they have friends would be telling a lie.

Live True To Your Higher Self

Live true to your higher self never harm anyone
This should make your parents proud of you as a daughter or son
And to help anyone in need of helping be willingly inclined
They are special people the compassionate and kind
The self centered nowadays are not of the few
And this is not saying anything that is new
Sadly the narcissists  nowadays are no longer rare
She or he in ways a poor person the greedy billionaire
Whilst the privileged few have far more than enough
Sadly so many poor people are doing it tough
Those who help others plant karma's good seed
And of more of their sort the Human World is in need
Live and let live as the wise one does say
And try to perform at least one good deed every day.

On Badgers

Badgers clean out the bedding from their setts at twilight
And replace it with preferably dried grass to dry out overnight
And then go searching for food in the fields under the darkened sky
Since badgers are wary and known to be shy

At the cruelty of humans badgers have suffered their share
As recorded in a great poem by the nineteenth century poet John Clare
A poem that is read and recited by many today
On the death of a badger in the cruelest way

In the twentieth century badgers were culled as carriers of  T B
Or is it that cattle give T B to badgers some on this agree
And that huge culls on badgers too place seems a terrible shame
Among the true friends of Nature few humans one could name

I got to know of badgers when i was a boy
And learning of their ways i used to enjoy
But going back the years this does seem long ago
And time that ages has since become my foe.

I Was Baptized A Roman Catholic

I was baptized a Roman Catholic in that i did not have a choice
But nowadays i feel happy to lend my voice
To freedom of choice not religious control
To tell others what to do in life is not my role

Nowadays i do not have a religion and to a god i do not pray
And as a non believer until death i will stay
But religious people who never harm others with me are okay
It is each to their own as the wise one does say

I am not one of those who tell others what to do
Whether you have a religion or not that should be up to you
All i know about religion is it does cause a people divide
And some people kill others because they believe they have god on their side

I was baptized a Roman Catholic but as a believer i did not stay
I am one who does not have a religion today
I will live out my time as an infidel
But if there is an afterlife i will not be short of company in hell.

Of Life I Know Little

I look old and gray but i am not wise
And of life i know little i have come to realize
But we learn as we live something new every day
We never stop learning it does seem this way
The praises of genuises of human history many may sing
But she or he not born yet the one who knows everything
Knowledge on bushes and trees does not grow
And the more you do learn the more you realize so little you do know
That knowledge is infinite as a truism remain
And much of what we learn the memory does not retain
We were learning in life before we learned how to crawl
And that we never stop learning does apply to all
I may look old and gray but i am not wise
As i do know so little i have come to realize.

What Is Success

We read and hear of successful people every day
But i do ask myself what is success anyway
Since on the subject of success many disagree
The one that is successful to you may not be so to me
Many measure success in a material way
That the poor of the town do have few admirers only true to say
It is a huge climb to success and renown
For the homeless one from the poor side of the town
To survive through tough times of poverty and stress
For many people would be success
To me a good person  is compassionate and kind
And to help anyone in need of helping is willingly inclined
Of karma is one who does plant the good seed
And as a person is very successful indeed.

Though The Behaviour Of One

Though the behaviour of one you may not condone
Leave it to the one without sin to cast the verbal stone
Judge and thou shalt not be judged as a truism remain
The meaning in this it's own self does explain
Many of our political and commnity leaders in the news to the fore
Are flawed people and hypocrites and little else more
They are not what they would like you of them to believe
One might say they do flatter for to deceive
If you wish for a better World for to live in
Perhaps with yourself then you ought to begin
You cannot live as a good person if good for others you do not do
There is plenty of room for improvement in me and improvement in you
Many of those that are greatly admired are in truth to natcissism inclined
And lack in the compassion of the caring and kind.

Malcolm Turnbull's Crusade

Since the fall from grace of his former deputy Barnaby Joyce
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has added his voice
On love between his ministers and their staff he has put a ban
A parliamentary decree from a self proclaimed moral man

Malcolm is more interested in his own political power and his public esteem
As most politicians are it clearly does seem
But will his ministers obey his orders and love's feelings forego
Were i a betting man on this i would surely bet no

That the Barnaby Joyce affair has harmed his government Malcolm is all too aware
And for morality in his cabinet he is only pretending he does care
A ban on love affairs in his cabinet he feels votes for him may win
Though it should be made clear to fall in love is never a sin

Malcolm the Prime Minister that compassion in public did feign a year ago
Or perhaps a bit longer it may be so
Gave five dollars to a beggar on the street after he had taken note
That there were photographers in attendance a cheap way for him to self promote

For one of his wealth five dollars from Malcolm to a poor person to say the least a bit mean
Perhaps in the back of his mind for the poor keep them hungry, homeless and lean
The man who for cabinet morality leads a parliamentary crusade
It is out of flawed people that some heroes are made

Malcolm Turnbull is hoping that his cabinet love affair ban new votes for him will gain
Though it does seem that hoping for him may be all in vain
Since his government of late with the voters has been on the nose
But in politics things can change one does have to suppose.

Barriers Of Mistrust

Though in public between people they like to differentiate
The people that many look up to and celebrate
Racist in their public utterances they spread their message of hate
And divisions between people they only help to create
They wave their national flags with a sense of patriotic pride
But they cannot unite those who only know how to divide
Those who genuinely love their Country are not racist in any sort of  a way
And do believe that all people of all races do deserve fair play
Patriots in name only is what their sort are
Yet to meet one of them you need not walk far
Some of them even reside on your street
And every day them you do happen to meet
Those who between people differentiate
Barriers of mistrust only help to create.

One Nearer To My Final Day

A bit of the World i can claim to have seen
And in many towns and cities to i have been
Far south of where i lived in when my hair was dark brown
Far north in Duhallow near old Millstreet Town
Far south of where i now live when my hair was dark brown
But in Millstreet i would be a stranger today
Since the years have left me looking bald and gray
Some i knew when i was younger from Duhallow live far away
And some where the deceased are at peace now does lay
Of the past only memories with me now remain
And perhaps i will never see Clara again
And in Spring see the bluebells on the ditch of bohreen
I only have memories of beauty i have seen
The clock on my life ever ticking away
And each dawning one nearer to my final day.

There Is For To Know

So much about Nature there is for to know
And my wonder of her only does grow and grow
And the more i learn of her the more i realize
That of her i know little this not a surprise
It is true that the best things in life are free
Her beauty we never does pay for to see
Of her we do learn something new every day
We never stop learning in truth one can say
We never stop learning this is not a lie
For as long as we live until the day we do die
I have loved Mother Nature since i was a boy
And learning of her ways today i enjoy
But the more i do learn the more i realize
That of her i know little this not a surprise.

You May Be One Of

You may be one of the nice people of the town
Always willing to help others never out for your own renown
You help those in need of  helping every day
Yet not everyone of you has nice things to say
Not a judgmental person in any sort of a way
Your own part for to make a better World to live in you surely does play
You never does call anyone out of  name
Or for your acts of kindness seek recognition or any sort of fame
Compassionate people do never have a fan club
And they are never the heroes of any local pub
And though you are a person i can only admire
And  of singing your praises i never could tire
You are not among the admired of the town
And even a few in their words put you down.

My Nostalgic Stories

He said to me your accent is strong and your hair silver gray
And do you miss your old Homeland from here far away
And he added out of Australia for a long period of time i could not stay
I said to him i do go home every day

He said in a home for the disillusioned you surely belong
For even in your imagination you surely does have it all wrong
How can you be at home when you are physically here
That your thinking is clouded does seem obviously clear?

I told him that i am often in Matty Owens bog in the Spring
Just before sundown listening to the curlew sing
And the songs of the birds from the neaby trees
Come floating to me in the freshening breeze

And as the shades of darkness are cloaking the sky
Above the bogland the male snipe does fly
With his wings and his tail he makes a goat like sound
As above his territory he flies around

And to her young calf the soft lowing of a cow
In a darkening field by old River Finnow
On a pleasant evening in May just after sundown
In the quiet countryside just west of Millstreet Town

He did look at me in a puzzled sort of a way
Saying your are talking like one not mentally okay
You say you go back home when you visualize
But this is not physically possible you ought to realize

A fellow i met in the Botanical Gardens on Koroit's Hight Street
Who has never heard of the Town of Millstreet
And though i tried to convince him that him i was not trying to deceive
My nostalgic stories he refused to believe.

Most Politicians As Is Known

Most politicians as is known are lacking in ruth
And cannot be relied on for telling the truth
Unless their political agenda a truthful answer does suit
At most times with their words they are deceptively cute
It is not often a politician to the questions of a media reporter with an honest answer reply
Since if the truth does not suit as an answer the truth they will deny
So few honest politicians in the World of today
That the majority of them are flawed and quite deceptive in truth one can say
Most politicians are only interested in their own advancement and renown
If you trust them you are leaving yourself open for a big let down
To most politicians a lie is rather easy to tell
At deception one can say they do rather well
And bigger fool you are if the words of a politician you do believe
Since most of them surely know how to deceive..

Many Seasons In Time

That it seems beneath the dignity of the literary critics to criticize one like me my rhymes have to be rough
And this has me to feeling that as a rhymer i am not good enough
And since lack of recognition is not healthy for one's self esteem
I must try my best to improve as a rhymer it does seem
For so many years i have been a rhyming buff
One who has written a whole heap of rhyming stuff
Yet i cannot lay claim to the title of poet
Nor am i one worthy of any literary note
Some advise me since for it i never receive any pay
That maybe i ought to give penning of rhyme away
But to my literary advisers i always does say
That i hope to be rhyming on my life's final day
Forty four years ago i penned my first rhyme
And this is going back many Seasons in time.

I Never Refer To Myself

I never refer to myself as a poet
Nor am i one worthy of any literary note
This is something i have said quite often before
I write for enjoyment and little else more
I am just one of those who enjoys penning rhyme
It is something i have been doing for a long time
I wrote my first rhymes in nineteen seventy three
And it was my love of rhyme made a rhymer of me
On my twenty seventh year when my hair was dark brown
In my physical prime just west of Millstreet Town
On looking back the Seasons this is long ago
And time that rusts iron has become my foe
And though my best years in life in the forever gone
As one who loves rhyming i will keep on rhyming on.

The Greatest Gift Anyone Possess

Life can have it's worries and it's times of stress
But it is the greatest gift that anyone possess
So live for as long as you possibly can
This goes for every woman and for every man
That life is your greatest gift happens to be true
For withot it your dreams you cannot pursue
Your dreaming end on the day you do die
For to say otherwise would be telling a lie
Things may be bad for you but never consider giving your life away
Tomorrow for you may be a better day
Everything does come to those who do wait
That is if with hope you do keep the faith
Life is the greatest gift anyone possess
Though it can have sorrows and worries and stress.

In A Different Way

People have a choice in their own destiny
Most people with this i know do agree
But i look at this in a different way
I happen to believe that destiny decides everyon'e future despite what many does say
The only offspring of the town's wealthiest woman and man
At twenty one years in her life's elan
Whilst sheltering from a thunder shower by a cypress tree
Death came upon her quite suddenly
The only heir to the wealthiest people in the town
By a bolt of lightning she was struck down
It was destiny decided her way for to die
What is true to me to many is a lie
I am one who does believe in destiny
Though with this sort of thinking many disagree.

For It's Scenic Beauty

For it's scenice beauty in a class of it's own
The City of Warrnambool is widely known
For it's hospitable people and it's many a smiling face
That helps to make Warrnambool such a welcoming place
As a tourist destination Warrnambool is known far and wide
Of south western Victoria it is surely the pride
Many who come to Warrnambool for a holiday
Often return to there for a longer stay
Beautiful places to see in Warrnambool such as Moyjil, Park Lake Pertobe and Stingray Bay
Most visitors to Warrnambool leave with nice things of it to say
Of coastal south western Victoria a gem in the crown
For it's hospitable people and it's scenic seaside beauty it has earned renown
As a holiday destination quite popular and widely known
Warrnambool is in a class of it's own.

In This Beautiful And Sunny Land

In this beautiful and sunny Land of the far south
No shortage of material for to write rhymes about
Though low the water dams and bone dry every drain
This evening we did have a few showers of rain
The brown and bare countryside looking so dry
That we do need much more rain this is the main reason why
It has been a warm dry Summer this year
And the long range weather forecast is sunny and clear
A week from the first of the calendar Fall
Though thus far not any sign of Autumn weather at all
And though it has made a few welcome showers of rain today
It does seem more warm weather is on the way
The first of March the start of the calendar Autumn is near
It has been a warm and dry Summer this year.

In Memory I Hear It

Flowing from high Claramore in view of Clara Hill
In memory i hear it the silver tongued rill
On towards the river babbling on it's way
It is never silent by night or by day

It's pure crystal waters that flows ever clear
I often did drink of going back many a year
Long before time that ages did become my foe
And going back the Seasons this seems long ago

The past may be gone but the good memories remain
And in fancy i often visit the old fields again
And from the Claraghatlea fields the rill has followed me
Today it is babbling in my memory

From the fields of the badger and waterways of the brown trout
The past lives in me it has followed me south
Good memories live on as the wise one does say
And doubtless will be with me until my life's final day

From high Claramore in view of Clara Hill
On through Claraghatlea in a voice never still
On towards the river flowing with a will
In fancy i can hear the silver tongued rill.

A Thing You Must Give To Receive

Respect is a thing you must give to receive
This is something that ought not be hard to believe
It is something that has for to be shared by two
How can you respect one who disrespects you
The one who disrespects you in time you may forgive
But you will remember for as long as you live
That she or he unkind things of you did say
Insult from the memory does not fade away
That a person remembers a verbal offense
Is not saying anything new just plain common sense
Though insult can be forgiven memories of it stay in the mind
You lose respect for those who to you are unkind
Respect is a thing you must give to receive
This is something that should not be hard to believe.

Storm Emma And The Beast From The East

Storm Emma from the cold north across the Boggeraghs did blow
And the countryside in North Cork under a blanket of snow
The Beast from the east has brought snow, wind and rain
And brown flood water flowing bank high in every stream, river and drain
A cold change in the weather in the calendar Spring
To the farmers of Ireland financial hardships does bring
For European farmers a poor Spring is on the way
For their livestock running low on silage and hay
The weather temperature below the zero degrees
And the big winds are howling in bare deciduous trees
Storm Emma and The Beast from the east combine to bring hardship and stress
And will leave in their wake only unhappiness
The Beast from the east brings frost, snow wind and rain
But in the age of climate change expect this for to happen again.