September In Millstreet

Where old Clara Mountain as ever looks down
On the green countryside bordering Millstreet Town
In latter September in the Fall of the year
And with each passing day cooler and wetter weather is near
In the groves and the woods in the countryside near Millstreet Town
The deciduous leaves will soon be turning brown
And the cattle will soon be in farmyard sheds living on silage and hay
When September comes Winter is not far away
Back there o'er the rushy fields where the waterways meet
A short drive by car from the Town of Millstreet
The airborne songsters the skylarks are not singing today
In Nature most birds have their singing Seasons it does seem this way
The Seasons do come and go as they always will
To the green countryside in view of Clara's Hill.

A Nice Evening In September

The sun it is out so good to be alive
A beautiful evening for to go for a drive
It is so refreshing the cool coastal breeze
And the birds they are singing on the bushes and trees
In latter September in the early Spring
The beauty in Nature such joy to us bring
The countryside green after the recent rain
With such beautiful weather it seems hard to complain
With the sun on their dark wings chirping as they fly
The swallows are chasing flying insects in the sky
A beautiful evening in this place in the south
For an artist to sketch or a writer to write about
Of the birds who do sing every day of the year
The warbling of the magpies so pleasant to hear.

The Marginalized

To fight illness they don't have the strength or they don't have the will
Poor people are left to die when they fall ill
The government for them does not seem to care
Any money to support them from their budget they do not have to spare
Poor people are at the bottom of the social heap
They are not valued their lives taken cheap
In wars and famines so many poor people do die
As they live as unprotected this is not a lie
Poor people are born into poverty circumstance and live and die as the unsung
By their circumstance of birth condemned to die young
On the social ladder on the bottom rung
They are the people of the silent tongue
The marginalized of the Human World of today
That their numbers are growing does seem sad to say.

Not The Star Pupil

Einstein in school was not one of the star pupils of his class
But in his lifetime achievements all others he did surpass
In physics on his theory of relativity his fame live today
True genius can be slow to bloom it is often this way
Born in Ulm in Germany he died in Princeton New Jersey in the U S of A
One of the great minds of his time of him one can say
It is true that a great one cannot be kept down
From humble beginnings he rose to Worldwide renown
The one who proved that all life forms in some way to each other relate
In his theory of relativity he achieved something great
Not the star pupil of his classroom yet nonetheless
In physics he climbed to the top of the hill of success
Not the star pupil of his classroom yet he rose to fame
And in physics his lives as a revered name.

When A Hero Was Needed

Dismissed in the town as a never do well
And without any achievements in life of for to tell
One of the local community's marginalized
But people like him as is known have surprised
Joe and Jill Brookes only child ten years old Sue
Her reason for being alive today to him it is due
Whilst swimming in the bay she got into difficulty
And by the retreating waves was being swept out to sea
He could hear her screaming for help from the shore
An the danger to his own life he choose to ignore
Despite the huge waves out to her he did swim
And for saving her life she can only thank him
A new found respect in the community by him won
When a hero was needed he was the one.

At Anytime

That death can come to anyone at anytime is not a lie
And it is a fallacy that anyone is too young for to die
The Reaper of lives claims the lives of the old and the young
As well as the wealthy celebrities and the poor and unsung
The one who claims all lives none does celebrate
With Nature's gleaner of lives we all  have a date
It is a date each one of us is obliged to keep
With the one who causes women to wail and macho men to weep
The same for the billionaire as well as you and me
We are born into life to die eventually
Far younger than you are in cemeteries lay
And feel glad you did wake for to greet the new day
Death claims the lives of boy and girl and woman and man
So live for as long as you possibly can.

They Are Such Good People

They are such good people the compassionate and kind
And of helping of others are always willingly inclined
Not the sort in their words to drag anyone down
And more like them are needed in every town
Far too many of those lacking in empathy
Who for the people doing it tough cannot feel any sympathy
They never does seem to plant Karma's good seed
Of more of their type the Human World is not in need
In the helping of others they perform good deeds every day
The compassionate and kind by nature are this way
Always helping people living in poverty
The homeless, the hungry and the refugee
Always helping  poor people of every race
Of humanity they are the true human face.

For Them All Of The Glory

For them all of the glory the adulation and fame
The winners by their fans lauded after the big game
In life as in sports it is much the same
The winners for themselves always make a name
And though losing is something anyone does not choose
For one to win someone else has to lose
The losers do not live on in memory
This is how it is and how it always will be
The winner can afford to have a smiling face
But it takes one of courage for to lose in grace
And congratulate the winner with a handshake and well done
And admit that the better one on the day won
The applause is for the winners it is always this way
And for the losers it is a forgettable day.

The Past Returns To Me

Just a couple of kilometres from the Town of Millstreet
To that beautiful place where the waterways meet
And only the memories with me now remain
Of a place that I may never visit again
In memory it does seem that time has stood still
Of the old rushy fields in view of Clara hill
Where among the long grass from view hidden away
A male pheasant is cucking on an evening in May
Memories of such beauty do not fade in a day
They live in the mind until the Reaper on one's life's has the say
And memories are all I  have left to retain
Of a place that I may never visit again
The past returns to me when I visualize
And a male chaffinch is singing on a Spring sunrise.

Stealing From The Government

If your taxes to the government you do not pay
The law may have you in prison for quite a long stay
For to steal from the government is seen as a very serious crime
And for a similar offense against an individual seen worthy of longer prison time
In this respect little difference between a democratically elected and a government run by the military
Those who are caught cheating are not shown any leniency
The law always seem to treat stealing from the government than stealing from an individual as a far more serious crime
And is deemed to be worthy of far longer prison time
The law for people caught cheating on the government little sympathy does show
In a long prison sentence since they are made an example of so that others will come to know
That stealing from the government is taken as a serious offense
But some people pay in the hard way for a bit of common sense
If you steal from the government your price is high to pay
But when they steal from you by deception with them this is okay.

A Smile

As a wise person has been known to say
A smile can bring a flutter of joy to your day
The sullen faced people of few wish to know
Since they seem to lack in the bright inner glow
The friendly person when walking on the street
Imparts a little joy to everyone she or he does meet
It is indeed a wonderful gift they possess
With others they share some of their happiness
Few wish to know of the sad sacks of the town
The people who always look sad faced and down
Suppose they cannot help it if this is their way
But they never bring joy to anyone's day
A smile it will never cost you anything
And a flutter of joy to others it may bring.

An Unlikely Hero

For  theft to the local police he is known
The type any local would not claim as one of our own
For shoplifting he has spent some time in jail
The good character test he is one who does fail
But the villain became the hero of the town
The day the Mancini family home burned down
Flames licked towards the sky it was like a bad dream
Young Claudia Mancini trapped in the house for help did scream
But one truly brave young man among  the onlooking crowd
By flames and by smoke refused to be cowed
He broke down the door to the burning house and to safety dragged Claudia out
The young man with the police record he left none in doubt
That an unlikely hero can be one of low public esteem
And those we judge poorly are not always what they does seem.

There Is Beauty Around Us

There is beauty around us every day for to see
A magpie is warbling high on a tall tree
And the yellow billed dark feathered songsters of Spring
So lovely for to hear the male blackbirds sing
In Nature there is beauty to see every day
A beauty for to view we do not have to pay
Like all other creatures to Nature we belong
Though some people will tell you this thinking is wrong
Nature the artists and writers inspire
And of singing her praises it does seem hard to tire
Of her every day we do learn something new
For to realize this there are far more than a few
The contented cattle chewing their cuds do lay
In the prime of September on a southern Spring day.

A Socialite

Most of those she went to school with in cemeteries lay
But she in her nineties seems quite well today
An actress and storyteller and poetry she does write
She remains as she always was a socialite
She wears heavy makeup for to cloak time's decay
And her hair she dyes blond for to cover her grey
Her long term husband to her is different in he does not seek the limelight
Though out of the public eyes with him she has many a verbal fight
But that she likes to portray a good public appearance not hard to understand
When out on the town with him she walks hand in hand
One of the town's most attractive when in her life's prime
But like everyone does she is losing out to time
Among the like minded she has many a friend
And she will be a socialite until her life's journey's end.

Some Do Need

Some do need admirers To boost their self esteem
A human need in them or so it does seem
But others are different quite different indeed
For the admiration of others in them they do not have the need
And some are known for to be publicity shy
That most people in their personalities are different seems hard to deny
And some one day dream of becoming  wealthy and famous but daydreams seldom come true
In life few ever receive what they believe is their due
Though losing is a thing anyone does not choose
In life for a few to win big many have to lose
With like minded people one tends to socialize
That similar interests creates friendships one comes to realize
Though some do not everyone daydreams of fame
How boring we would be if we all were the same.

To Write Rhymes

To write rhymes one does not need any literary degrees
Just to know that trees always does rhyme well with breeze
And tight in rhyme never does go well with loose
And moose always does seem to go well with goose
Twenty first century literary critics dismiss rhymers as writers of doggerel
Though some who write in rhyme does write rather well
It is true that there are rhymers in every town
Though few of them ever know of even local literary renown
But most of those who write in rhyme never write for wealth and fame
Or in hope that theirs would become a great literary name
And though many do say they are wasting their time
It is just for the love of it they do write rhyme
Anybody can write rhymes or so we are told
But rhymers were the poets of the days of old

A Nice Day To Be Walking

A freshening coastal breeze and the white surf waves roar
A nice day to be walking by the southern shore
The silver gulls mewing as above the foreshore they fly
And just a few clouds of grey in the mostly blue sunny sky
Many people out enjoying the sunshine on this coastal Spring day
For the pleasures of Nature one does not have to pay
To walk on the beach on your skin feel the saltwater spray
And smell the kelp and the sea weed on the beach of the bay
Whether inland or by the ocean Nature's beauty to see
A natural beauty that to view is free
In Spring quite a beautiful time of the year
With the warmer weather of the Summer near
Every day on our walks of Nature we learn something new
And one can say of her that her wonders are not of the few.

Michael Kelleher's Golden Days

In his retirement from laying of heavy pipes he is one who travels far
In east and south and western Australia from his home in San Remo Victoria by motor car
With his metal detector in search of precious gold
It is of men like Michael Kelleher that adventure stories are written of and told

A long way south of Claraghatlea a kilometre from Millstreet Town
Where he used to live many years ago when his hair was chestnut brown
Before the yearn for adventure inspired him to travel far south
Of the old fields of the badger and waterways of the brown trout

Of late in Dunolly in Victoria on the old gold mining ground
With his metal detector a nice piece of gold he found
Valued at fifteen thousand dollars this is quite a good day's pay
Though this of course is something that does not happen every day

The lives of strong and healthy and adventurous men may make for a good read
But it cannot be an easy life for anyone for to lead
At night in the remote countryside sleeping in a car far from the nearest town
And all day long with metal detector on old gold fields walking up and down

The spirit of adventure remains in the adventurous men
Michael Kelleher has not lost it and he is near three score and ten
Perhaps far south of Claraghatlea he will see his last sunset
But men like him live on in time they seem hard to forget

Soon he will drive to the old gold fields of Broken Hill in remote New South Wales
Where on his long journey he will stop at bush town pubs for to enjoy a few ales
Men like him they are quite rare and never ceases to amaze
In years from now some biographer may write the story  of Michael Kelleher's Golden Days.

A Crows Barracker

When the Adelaide  A F L Football Club loses the disappointment on his face shows
For he is a fan of the footballing Crows
But when they do win on his face a big smile
Perhaps this makes up for his disappointments and makes his barracking worth  his while

A man born and raised and living in south west Victoria in his local pub
He is the only one who barracks for the Adelaide Football Club
A man of his own mind of him one can say
So few of his sort in the Human World of today

I once asked him why he barracks for Adelaide and to this his reply
Since you asked me this question thee is only one reason why
They play in Australia' indigenous people's colours the first people of this Southern Land
Why I barrack for them do you now understand

He added though I am not of indigenous ancestry I admire them as a race
And in Australia they should command the highest place
And with the footballing Crows of Adelaide a common bond I does share
Since the true colours of Australia they proudly does wear

Tribalism in barracking in football it is not his thing
Of the praises of a non Victoria A F  L Club he only does sing
He often drives his car to Adelaide and Melbourne to watch the Crows play
From Warrnambool in south west Victoria a long journey either way.

A Returned Migrant

He went to see life in the big World out there
Where many looked on him as the man from elsewhere
In the World out there so much for to see
But it turned out quite different than he thought it would be
You never miss home until you leave it he came to realize
But in hindsight as is said one does grow more wise
The yearn for adventure did die in him fast
He yearned for the company of  family and friends in days of the past
In his travels he has been a long way from home
And has seen some of the World's great Cities London, New York, Paris and Rome
Two years from his hometown seemed too long for him to be away
And now he is back there for the long stay
Of late he has met up with the love of his life
A beautiful local young woman is to become his wife.

On Black Tailed Native Hens

As birds go black tailed native hens are a nomadic race
They never seem to stay for long in any one place
Mostly dark with green and red bills and of humans quite shy
When they see you they disappear into cover by lake or waterway nearby
In ground nest of reeds in cover by water five to seven green dotted eggs the females birds lay
From human eyes and eyes of predators well hidden away
For to be truly nomadic in life is their way
In any one place they don't have a long stay
Bantam sized birds they wander far and wide
But for long periods of time in any one place they do not reside
They are always near water bordered by small trees, bushes and tall grass
Where they run to for to hide until danger does pass
Never seen in aviaries far too wild for to tame
Black tailed native hens for them seems an apt name .

Just To Be Alive

I feel grateful for every day I wake to see
Since eventually there will come a tomorrow that will not dawn for me
On how long anyone will live there is no guarantee
You may die as a child or live to die at one hundred and three
Your talents may bring you wealth, fame and success
But your life is the greatest gift you do possess
And though many people your praises may sing
On the day you will die you will lose everything
The longest lived human life in time not a very long span
So you should live for as long as you possibly can
For there may not be a paradise somewhere beyond the sky
For good souls post bodily death with wings to for to fly
A nice sunny day for to go for a drive
It is such a good feeling just to be alive.

Some Of His Memories

Some of his memories he has lived to regret
The things in his past he would rather forget
The mistakes in a second chance he would rectify
But one cannot change what has happened in decades gone by

Yet so many like him in the World today
Some memories they would not rather have with them does stay
As ghost in their minds from the distant past
And the clock on their lives ever keep ticking fast

Many of us humans are beings of self image and pride
And our secrets of the past from others we does hide
They live on in us as ghosts of the mind
To be secretive in some of our ways by Nature we are designed

Though in his memory they never will fade
He never does talk of mistakes he has made
But that none of us are perfect happens to be true
And he now lives as an honourable person for to give him his due.

Close To A Perfect Spring Day

In the sunny mostly blue sky just a few clouds of grey
It is such a beautiful September day
The countryside lush and green after early Spring rain
With such weather anyone should not complain
With the sun on their dark wings chirping as they fly
Welcome swallows are chasing flying insects in the sky
With young to feed in their mud nest on shed rafters nearby
That Nature in her ways is amazing none ought to deny
Familiar voices of the Spring of the year
The songs of the blackbirds so pleasant to hear
With a refreshing coolness in the coastal breeze
The magpies are warbling on the sunlit trees
The contented cattle chewing their cuds do lay
On what must be close to a perfect Spring day.

It Is Not Poor People's Shame

For global warming in the World it is not poor people's shame
The greedy wealthy for this are those for to blame
Oil wells and coal mines have created many a billionaire
These are so damaging to the natural environment as all would be aware
Of more aspirational billionaires the Human World is not in need
Most environmental damage is because of human greed
Many species of flora and fauna to global warming losing out
That some wealthy people are environmental criminals there can be little doubt
The wealthy take so much from our Earth Mother and in return to her little give
Yet she is the one we all depend on to live
But for our sins against Mother Earth the price will be huge for us to pay
For what goes around comes around as the wise one does say
Global warming is not caused by those living in poverty
Of any guilt or shame of this they are free.

Billy The Ex Shearer

Billy the ex shearer balding and grey
He is now showing the wear of time's decay
His craggy wrinkled features from years of sun brown
In his travels he has drunk in pubs in many a bush town
He has many stories of his travels and his shearing life
And of the women he made love to though none of them became his wife
They loved me and left me is what he does say
I am just an old fellow who is childless and wifeless today
Of the good and the bad times in life he has known
In his one bedroom rental flat he lives on his own
At their home games he cheers on the local football club
And he always enjoys a few beers at the pub
On his eighty fifth year he is still going strong
To a tough breed of people he is one who belong.

Lucky Are They

To it there is always a joyful ring
Laughter it is such a wonderful thing
One has to feel for the sad sacks of the town
Never smiling and looking sad and feeling down
In their lives laughter they do live without
And perhaps they have things for to feel sad about
Though they are the people few of wish to know
Since sadly they do lack in the inner glow
Others wish to know of those who are carefree
The people that laughter comes to easily
Laugh and the whole world will laugh with you
Is an old truism that remains ever true
Lucky are they of them one can say
Who even in their tough times do laugh every day.

Where I Used To Live

Where I used to live when my hair was dark brown
Today I would be a stranger to many near and in Millstreet Town
I have not been there for some thirty three years
And for what used to be I have shed  my last tears
And only the memories with me now remain
Of old Clara half cloaked in the grey fogs of rain
And even my friends of the past who in Millstreet did stay
May now look on me as a once friend today
We become part of our life's experiences as most would agree
And all we have are the memories of the what used to be
Time does not wait for anyone and it did not wait for me
Though of Duhallow I retain many a good memory
Of my first homeplace in Millstreet I am one of the long gone
But today life there without me as usual goes on.

Outsiders

They are not in any community organizations or members of any sporting club
And they drink on their own when they are in the pub
They do not have a leader their problems to voice
Outsiders by nature and outsiders by choice

None of them have any claim to any sort of renown
The fringe dwellers of every city and town
They just live in their own way and do their own thing
The people whose praises none ever does sing

Most of them are good people in their own humble way
Quite honest and just they work hard for their pay
In their words they never drag anyone down
Yet they remain as outsiders on their side of the town

Not into self promotion as so many are
On the ladder of success they will never climb far
Fringe dwellers by nature and fringe dwellers by name
As they live they will die as strangers to fame

They mind their own business their lives are their own
And they are happy to live as the almost unknown
To their higher selves they remain ever true
And they are honourable people for to give them their due.

Joan Cronin

Joan Cronin nee Noonan of  Coolinarne died at ninety eight years
Her many friends and her family have farewelled her in tears
To her late husband Denis a devoted wife
A great grandmother she was a good person who lived an honourable life
One who was kind and humble for to give to her what was her due
To her higher self one who did live true
Gone from Coolinarne a well known and loved face
And without her it surely is a poorer place
Respect to her memory one only can pay
A shy and caring person and humble in her way
In her long life by good example she did lead
And the news of her passing was sad of to read
One can only hope her passing from life was a painless release
In St Mary's in Millstreet she now is at peace.

Dogs Are So Honest

Dogs are so honest they cannot pretend
And than your dog you have not a greater friend
For as long as your dog lives your dog will love you
Dogs to their favourite human friends are always true
Your dog to you will remain true for life
Far truer than a woman to her husband or a man to his wife
Far more dogs have died at the hands of people than people in the jaws of dogs died
Thousands of innocent dogs every day killed by people Worldwide
People cruel to dogs to their own kind also can be cruel
Many of us humans are known for to abuse our rule
For your kindness your dog in her or his devotion to you will repay
Most dogs are loyal and trustworthy since this is their way
For dogs they are honest as honest as can be
They have in them the genes of love and loyalty.

This Great Gift Of Life

This great gift of life is such a wonderful thing
To walk in the park where Nature's birds do sing
And hear the familiar sound of the freshening breeze
Soughing ever gently in the bushes and trees
How nice to be living on a day like today
The rumble of the white surf waves rolling into the bay
When the weather has it's many moods of the Spring
Of the praises of Nature one only can sing
The best things in life to enjoy are free
The beauty in Nature everywhere one does see
A nice breezy evening to be out and about
In early September in the coastal far south
Were I born a poet of such beauty I would write
For lovers of poetry for to read and recite.

The Vocal Judgmental

By the many materialism seem to impress
You are judged by your job and your postal address
By them you are judged more favourably by your career or the size of your car
Than the sort of person that you really are

It's a sad Human World to live in when your money and material possessions say more about you
Than the good things for others in life that you do
For they are great people the compassionate of mind
As they are generous and caring and loving and kind

It is the vocal judgmental majority we have for to  thank
For celebrity worship, class distinction and social rank
Their comparing between those who have and have not they seem to enjoy
And on so doing any hope of equality in the Human World they completely destroy

They do not serve humanity well in truth one can say
And far too many of their sort in the Human World of today
Of more of the generous and compassionate and kind we are in need
As for the betterment of humanity they plant the seed.

Nature Is A Great Teacher

That Nature is a great teacher in truth one can say
From her we do learn something new every day
And the more we learn of her the more we realize
That she is one who never ceases to surprise
She surely is one who has ways of her own
And so much about her that remains as unknown
The one from a tiny seed that grows a beautiful flower
Nature the World's number one super-power
Her Seasons come to life and from life does go
And time to her never does become a foe
From the most intelligent of human eyes her secrets well hidden away
Nature who does create life from decay
Those who claim they know all about her believe their own lie
We do learn from her until the day we do die.

Why Do We Define

Why do we define people by their material or financial success
By their so called social standing or their postal address
By the size of their home, swimming pool and car
These things tell us nothing of the person you truly are
Since the person you are does live in your mind
Are you one who is generous, compassionate and kind
Are you one of those who gives to receive
And on a fair go for all do you truly believe
The good things you do for others as a person says more about you
Than all of the good things for yourself that you do
They possess a great gift those who have empathy
And are of far more value to humanity
Than some of the wealthy people on your side of the town
Who on their climb to material success have dragged others down.

We Belong To The Land

Those who tell you they own the land have got it all wrong
For how can we own to what we do belong
To the land that does feed us we return to one day
But the land does remain life works in this way
It should not be a hard thing for to understand
That like all other creatures we are of the land
To prove they have ownership of land people have a legal document known as a deed
But this so called proof of ownership of land is temporary indeed
For the holder of the deed eventually does die
Which proves that land ownership is based on a lie
The land that does feed us is our greatest friend
On our very survival on it we depend
And it should not be hard for anyone to understand
That we cannot own what we belong to and this is the land.

The Road Into Kerry

On through Ballydaly west of Millstreet Town
The road into Kerry does wind up and down
In view of the Boggeraghs the hills old in time
For years they have been the inspiration of the writers of song, story and rhyme
The roadway from Millstreet that winds up and down
To Rathmore in east Kerry that borders Cork a Sliabh Luachra Town
Many tourists in the past have driven on the roadway
And more tourists than ever drive on it today
The main road to Killarney known to tourists Worldwide
In view of the Boggeraghs through the green countryside
Many who have driven on the roadway into Kerry where the deceased are now lay
Their children and grandchildren drive on it today
In view of the Boggeraghs through a countryside  evergreen
With many beautiful sights of Nature to be seen.

Love That

Love that blooms quickly can be quickest to die
In so many instances this is not a lie
A wise old lady once to me did say
That the flower that blooms early is early to decay
Love is unrequited when it is one way
For love is a game only two in can play
The one you does love and who loves you must be your greatest friend
And true love known to last until life's  journey end
The praises of love many do love to sing
And love in itself is a beautiful thing
But sometimes love is known for to end in tears
And a bitterness that does linger on for years
Of love stories and songs are written and sung
And love is for all ages not alone for the young.

On The Passing Of Den Joe Kelleher

Sad news out of Millstreet Town for to read of today
Den Joe Kelleher of the Station Road from life has passed away
Grieved by his children and grandchildren and Breeda his devoted wife
And the many friends he made in Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra in his long life

One of the most likeable of people in old Millstreet Town
In his working years all of the roadways of the Cork Kerry border he drove up and down
Den Joe was a man who was very well known
And over the decades his friends in numbers had grown

In Millsrreet Town he was born and raised and in Millstreet he grew old
It is of men like he was stories are written and told
The last breath of life from his body may have gone
But in all who knew and knew of him good memories of him will live on

Of his truck driving days he had some great stories to tell
And a book on his life many copies would sell
A memorable character who was well known beyond Millstreet
People like Den Joe was everyday one does not meet

That life's journey ends for all of us only true to say
In the old Cemetery at Drishane his last remains lay
He had lived many Seasons before time became his foe
In Millsreet Town there will never again be one like Den Joe.

First People

The honour of Australia's first people from them cannot be taken away
But sadly for Australia's first people they  are Australia's second class citizens of today
The booing of Adam Goodes the great sportsman a former Australian of the year
Did have racial undertones to it and this seems obviously clear

Many of Australia's first people are living in dire poverty
And few of them hold important positions and most of them for advancement starved of opportunity
To indigenous Australians living in remote areas life opportunities does not apply
That they are treated as second class citizens in their own Country does seem rather hard to deny

One thing that cannot be taken from them is that they are the first people of this southern Land
And why so many of them are so poor is not hard for to  understand
They are among the marginalized in their own Country and this seems a sad thing to say
So few of them hold important positions in the Australia of today

Looked on as not equal in their own Country racism in humanity remain
But the honour of Australia's first people is something that they do retain
Their ancestors have lived in Australia for thousands of centuries of years
And the arrival of the colonizers only brought to them poverty and tears.

Arctic Waders

Arctic waders travel thousands of kilometres  yearly by sky
To southern beaches from their breeding grounds in the far north they does fly
And back again in the far northern Spring for to breed
Like all migratory birds for to travel long journeys for survival in them an inborn need
How they find their way to beaches in the far south and make it back home again
As a mystery of Nature will forever remain
So much about Nature for to learn of and know
And our wonderment of her it only does grow
These amazing feathered travellers from the Arctic with ways of their own
So much about them does remain as unknown
I know so little about Nature I have come to realize
But we learn as we live from the words of the wise
In Spring they arrive on the far southern beaches for their Summer stay
These amazing feathered travellers from a Land far away.

To The Winners The Glory

For the football club and it's players and supporters their day to celebrate
Their champion winning team with the club's best ever does rate
To their sporting heroes the glory belong
The town pubs tonight full of laughter and song
For the loyal members and supporters  this day worth the wait
Despite years of disappointing losses with the club they kept faith
For them and the team it was such a great day
A great memory like this their lifetimes with them will stay
Disappointment they have known in the years gone by
Not winning the big games though hard their team did try
A profitable evening for the owners of every town pub
Alcohol sales increase in  every big win for the town's football club
A joyful ending to a memorable day
To the winners the glory it is always this way.

The One Who Is Different

To the one who is different none does drink a toast
Not one the local community of wish to boast
Anti gun and anti war not the sort one could look on as a friend
Since the Country his type would not fight to defend
The town's war parades he does never attend
For to defend our hard earned freedom on him one could not depend
He never wears the Country's colours or waves the national flag
And does not feel the sacrifice of our young men in war is worth a national brag
We do not need in our Country the instigators of change
Since they are unpatriotic and in their thinking strange
The one to most others different is one of the marginalized of the town
One who will never reach the status of even local renown
Anti gun and anti war he lacks in national pride
He never attends our war parades to honour our brave in wars who have died.

To View It Is Free

The beauty in Nature to view it is free
And in Nature there is so much beauty to see
In Spring the pink blossoms on a fruit bearing tree
A beautiful sight to live in memory
Nature is one who lives in her own way
And of her we do learn something new every day
So little about her we realize we do know
And our wonderment of her it only does grow
Nature for us has lessons and her lessons not few
And every day of her we learn something new
But even the most knowledgeable on her ways have come to realize
That there is far more to her than does meet the eyes
Nature is one who has ways of her own
And so much about her there is to be known.

Some Positive Advice

She had some positive advice for  me
We can be anything we wish to be
Cannot say that meeting her did make my day
But at least for her advice I did not have to pay

For one like me often racked by self doubt
This gave me something for to think about
Was she trying to tell me in an indirect way
That I was a failure though this to me she did not say

Perhaps she should take her wisdom to the poor side of the town
And give her free advice to the financially down
The children of the parents of the lesser god
Who know how it feels like to be poor and down-trod

She can tell them that they too can become a success
Though with her positive words them she will not impress
The hungry, the homeless and the unemployed
The people who do not have a god on their side

With her words of wisdom they could not agree
Since they know what they wish for in life for them will never be
On their broken lives she could not plant her positive seed
And of her sort of advice they would not be in need

The good thing about her advice was that it was free
Though I wish that I could be what I wish to be
Positive words are so very easy to say
And meeting her did not bring joy to my day.

All Men Do Grow Older

All men do grow older but not all men grow wise
That their best physical days are long past they fail to realize
For women years younger they only have eyes
But on some of their thinking one can say not any surprise

On eternal youth some men firmly believe
But the ego the mind and the body is known to deceive
One can say they do lack in the inner glow
Of humility such people never will know

Ageist in their ways and tired of their ageing wives
Ageing arrogant males who are bored with their lives
Sadly for them they cannot age with grace
The fact that their best years are behind them they cannot seem to face

Their distorted image of their macho self is all in the mind
Nothing about them that is compassionate and kind
When a pretty younger woman smiles at them they get the idea
She must have the hots for me for to smile at me

Ageing man show love to your ageing wife
Years ago she was the love of your life
On body language you need some advice
The young woman who smiles at you to you is just being nice.

Live In The Now

How come memories of our happier times bring us close to tears
As we remember the good times in the long gone years
But the past gone forever only true for to say
And we can only live in the now and the now is today
On looking back the years time seems to have gone fast
And all we have left are memories of the past
But memories of the past are like memories of the dead
We can only live in the now and the future is ahead
Tomorrow will dawn but not for everyone
Does not matter what you have achieved in life or what great things you have done
Every day we do live one nearer to our last
Make the most of the now and try to learn from the past
Yesterday just a memory of what was and gone
We can only live in the now and life does go on.

A Role Model For Contentment

If he has any cares on his face they never do show
He looks like a man with the inner glow
Of sadness on his features you will not see a trace
He always does have a big smile on his face
Wherever he is at joy seems to abound
He carries it with him and shares it around
I have yet to see him looking sad faced and feeling down
Of his sort there ought to be more in the town
A man who does love his children and his wife
Every woman should have one like him in her life
One who always works hard for his weekly pay
A role model for contentment of him one can say
It s people like him others of wish to know
As he is one who has the bright inner glow.

With Doctor Help

With doctor help for a few years longer you may well survive
Prescribed pills from the pharmacist may well keep you alive
But death on your life will have the final say
For you too there will be a last night and day

Last week the town's wealthiest person from life passed away
For years with the help of doctors she kept death at bay
Until eventually the drugs that kept her alive death did overpower
And she wilted overnight like a frostbit flower

True enough she was past her physical prime
And her money did buy her  a  few years of time
But eventually she lost her battle with death
When it deprived her body of life's precious breath

The praises of money so many may sing
And though money is quite important it is not everything
Last week the town's wealthiest person not equal to the poorest today
Where the local dead are her last remains now lay.

Of Birds

We get to know birds by their appearance or song
And some of them once seen and once heard we never again do get wrong
Yet the more we learn about birds the more we come to realize
That of them we know little this not a surprise
It is true about birds they have ways of their own
And some things about them remain as unknown
Even birds we do hear and see every day
We do not know everything of only true for to say
A sad enough thing for to be of aware
That many species of birds are becoming rare
Without birds there would not be a voice of the Spring
And this even to contemplate is not a good thing
Of birds we have so much to learn of and know
And our wonderment of them it only does grow.

The Critics Applaud Him

The critics applaud him as their Poet of the Day
He is one of those who with words who does have a way
As a modern poet he is one of the best
And he will be one for to stand  the time test
The literary critics who in their newspaper columns appoint every literary great
Say here is a writer we should celebrate
Have proclaimed to be a young major poet
A writer they feel is worthy of literary note
In their newspapers columns one they often mention by name
As a poet well worthy of literary fame
And since he has the literary critics on his side
He is on his way to being known Worldwide
To literary greatness he is on his way
Since the critics applaud him as their Poet of the Day.

Doris Day

Doris Day the singer and actress at ninety seven has died
And news of her passing has spread Worldwide
One more famous person to be counted out
And of the eulogies  for her she will not know about
Since to the deceased fame and anonymity are of the same
No use to the dead if in life they knew of fame
Since for them no hope for the future ahead
Money and fame is of no use to the dead
With the one who claims all lives she has had her date
Doris Day the actress singer to her millions of fans was a great
To the scythe of the Reaper of lives she did fall
At the end of life's journey death awaits us all
Doris  Day the famous one has breathed her last
She does not have a future though she had a great past.

As Crooked As A Ram's Horn

You have heard the old saying as crooked as a ram's horn
The truly honest politician perhaps has yet to be born
Even the politician near to being honest to most questions give an ambiguous reply
And if the truth will hurt their re-election chances the truth they will deny
One has to suppose in politics honesty does not pay
At least anyhow it does seem this way
To most politicians to lie is okay
In politics it does seem deception does pay
Of worthy politicians so few one could name
For their own broken promises their political opponents they blame
You must be naïve if you believe everything a politician does say
Deception is the game that politicians do play
On a huge pension for life from politics they retire
Yet about them there is nothing for to admire.

Early September In Yangery

The sky at mid morning overcast and grey
And a soft wind is blowing uphill from Gorman's Bay
The black angus calves around their grazing mothers play
And the blackbirds are singing in Yangery today
The countryside green after the recent rain
And the breeding frogs singing in pond and in drain
The warbling of the magpies so pleasant to hear
In early September in Yangery a lovely time of year
In early Spring the weather often overcast and cool
In the coastal lands between Koroit  and Warrnambool
But the weather grows a bit warmer by the day
And when Spring comes Summer cannot be far away
The sun hidden behind cloud cover it has rained overnight
But Nature's flowers in the green paddocks make for a beautiful sight.

The Mind Game

Feel sceptical of the person who asks of you
Of your career in life and the job that you do
Or of how much money you receive in your weekly pay
She or he are being judgmental in a sly sort of way

And since it is obvious that you they are trying to pigeon hole
Perhaps you should tell them that you are on the dole
Which would make it easier for them to place you in their idea of the social rank
For their sort class distinction we do have to thank

The judgmental ways of their sort will be with them until they die
Telling them you are on the dole may well be a lie
Since those who judge you of your financial success
Are not the sort you should try to impress

Since they only help to uphold the social divide
And plenty of their sort of people Worldwide
To lie to such people is never a shame
With their sort you do have to play the mind game.

River Allow

River Allow from the Mullagheirk Mountains along the Cork Limerick border winds it's way
Near Kanturk it joins River Dalua babbling onwards night and day
At Ballymaquirk it enters the Blackwater to increase the big river's flow
The true age of River Allow anybody would not know
This ancient Munster waaterway over decades of time
Has inspired song and story and the men and women of rhyme
Have written so much about it long before story and song
And long before it became known as River Allow it was babbling along
To join the big river flowing to the Pacific shore
Through a country green and beautiful it will flow forever more
The journeys of the rivers to the oceans began
Long before the age of the dinosaurs or the birth of the first woman and man
By the Cork and Limerick border it will flow forever more
To join the Blackwater River to the far Atlantic shore

Out Of Control

I feel that my ego is out of control
And on my thought patterns is taking it's toll
I envy the people with humility
Though sadly they are of the unassuming minority

Everyday walking on the park or on the street
Egotistical people i happen to meet
There are many with far bigger egos than me
And this does seem a sad thing would you not agree

The ego in all of us it is alive
In this competitive Human World we need some to survive
But far too many of us our own praises only too willing to sing
And for the mind this is not a healthy thing

I admire the humble they don't brag or boast
And they leave it to others to themselves to drink a toast
But sadly in the twenty first century they have become a rare breed
In the Human World many to brag of themselves feel the need.

The One Who Has Laughter

So lucky are those who can laugh every day
That they help to spread happiness seems true to say
Since laughter it is such a beautiful sound
They carry joy with them and share it around
They are the sort of people others of wish to know
Since they do possess the bright inner glow
Few wish to know of the one with the sad face
In her or his mind for joy not any space
It is not saying anything in anyway that is new
That their friends to say the least are in the few
But the one who has laughter of cares does seem free
And she or he is known to make friends easily
They carry in them the seed of happiness
And it is a great gift that they does possess..

Home Is Where

Home is where you live as some does say
And not where you once lived in distance far away
And though one's truth to others seldom does apply
The truth in the saying seems hard to deny
Your home in the past in you lives as a fond memory
But you can only physically live in the now is how it must be
Though to many migrants home is in a distant place
Where today to many there theirs would be a stranger face
The future ahead of us and the past it has gone
And the now we can only live in and life around us goes on
And to many home is the house they do live in today
Though good memories of  a home they once lived in with them does stay
But some memories as is said a lifetime does last
And when some migrants talk of home they talk of the past.

Your Higher Self

If to your higher self you wish to live true
Give credit to everyone that credit to is due
And in your words never do drag others down
Even people that you do not like in the town
But to my advice on the higher self I cannot live by
I too have my human flaws though hard I do try
To live as a better person plenty of room for improvement in me
Of my human weaknesses  I will never be free
Those true to their higher selves are of the few
And this is not saying anything that is new
The words of a wise person does come to mind
You cannot be true to your higher self if you are not compassionate and kind
I do not practice what I preach in truth I can say
And from my higher self I do seem far away.

I Have Never Envied Those

I have never envied those of wealth and fame
And praise and criticism I treat as the same
I do not have life achievements of for to brag
Though for a fair go for all people I do wave the flag
For to comment on poems of poets I am not qualified
Their idea of good and bad I leave to others to decide
I am just one of those who has penned reams of rhyme
Without the rewards of pay over decades of time
Though I do not refer to myself as a poet
Nor am i one worthy of any literary note
I have been penning rhyme since nineteen seventy three
And it was my love of rhyme made a rhymer of me
That I enjoy penning rhyme on my behalf not a lie
And I hope to be doing it until the day I do die.

A True Egalatarian

The Reaper of lives the one who does not spare
The lives of any celebrity and any billionaire
Is  the true egalitarian in truth one can say
From the one who wields the scythe of death nowhere to hide away
The true egalitarian most people seem to fear
And any praise of the Reaper one seldom does hear
Some will tell you the Reaper of lives is a male
Whilst others will tell you she is a female
The monarch of death claims more lives every day
A true egalitarian of her or him one can say
The one who does not respect money and fame
To the Reaper of lives rich and poor are the same
You may well be a person many celebrate
But with the one who claims all lives you must keep your date.

The Aspirational

Wherever the aspirational does meet
For attention with each other they do compete
In their quest to be the wealthiest, best loved and most famous in the town
Their dreams even transcend the local renown

Their own praises among  their peers they do love to sing
Compassion for others is never their thing
They do have in them the strong desire others to impress
The accumulation of money is their idea of success

They like telling each other of how marvellous they are
The size of their home and size of their new car
It is only of self they like talking about
Of how important they think they are they do not leave you in doubt

Among other aspirational people they have their friends and their foes
Like all others with them it is each to their own one would have to suppose
Too much love of self is not good for the human mind
But suppose humanity is made up of every kind.

You Treat Your Dog Well

You treat your dog well and she or he for life will remain your friend
Since unlike humans dogs do not know how to pretend
Your dog does love you for the person you are
Not for the size of your bank account your home or your car
For devotion to and love of you your dog only need
A few kind words every day a short walk and a feed
A woman may lose the love of her husband and a man may lose the love of his wife
But the love of your dog for you is a love that's  for life
Than your dog you will not have a better friend
She or he will love you until their life will end
Your dog's love of you until death  remains strong
But sadly the lifetime of a dog is not long
For as long as it does live your dog as your friend will stay
For your kindness in a lifetime of love she or he you will repay.

Without The Rewards Of Pay

Your race or nationality or your breeding line
Of your worth as a person you should not define
But sadly in human kind this is not the case
There can be inequality in circumstance of birth and nationality and race
If we were all born to be equal how great this would be
The wealthy celebrity would only be equal to me
But for the few winners there are many losers life works in this way
And this seems a sad thing indeed for to say
But your compassion for others as a person says more about you
Than money and the fame that goes with it can ever do
The kind and compassionate as people are great
As a better World to live in they help to create
The good person performs good deeds every day
By helping poor people without the rewards of pay.

It Is True

It is true that people of great material wealth and fame
In the World do become by many a widely known and respected name
Yet many of their sort not compassionate or kind
And to the desire for more money are quite readily inclined
And to Mother Earth who does feed us few of their sort a friend
Money does not make you a friend of the natural environment why otherwise pretend
The Earth that does feed us is suffering due to human greed
And of far more wealthy human friends she is badly in need
The health of the economic environment is important no doubt
But the Earth that feeds us we could not live without
On our very survival on her we depend
Yet her rights so few seem willing to defend
Our Earth Mother from greedy humans is under constant attack
And those who wage war on Nature in compassion does lack

Lacking In The Inner Glow

Her quite pretty face could have done with a smile
Though obviously she is one who is free of guile
The young woman who served me at the superstore today
One can say she did treat me in an unbusinesslike way

An attractive looking woman in her early twenties with blond wavy hair
Who did seem to me as one burdened by care
One who seemed rather sullen as opposed to shy
She did not greet me with a smiling hello or a farewell goodbye

She was not one who brought any joy to my day
In life you cannot win them all as the wise one does say
But it is true that we all do have cares of our own
And who knows of a setback in her love life of late she may have known

The seeds of joy by her sort are never sown
Yet it can be said of her that her moods she does own
Perhaps what is going on in her mind in her features does show
And today she was lacking in the inner glow.

We Do Live To Regret

In most of us there are memories in our past we would rather forget
The things in our lives we do live to regret
Perhaps an ill chosen word that did cost us a friend
And brought a good friendship to a premature end

How come our worst memories in us are the slowest to fade?
We pay in regret for mistakes we have made
We cannot change now what happened long ago
And that the past is just a memory happens to be so

To the stubborn young mind it would mean loss of face
To apologize for a wrongdoing that would take too much grace
But regrets do not seem to have a use by date
And when most think about saying sorry it is always too late

Most people fail to realize than on saying sorry themselves they also forgive
So a lifetime of regret they are left with to live
Some of our mistakes of the past in regrets in us live on
And it is all too late to change what has been and long gone.

September Night

September a beautiful time of the year
The sounds of  Nature so pleasant to hear
Magpies singing at night in the southern Spring
The sound of their music is such a beautiful thing
The calling of a boobook owl in the moonlight
A memorable sound on a calm Spring night
The slight chill of late Winter in the air remain
Frogs in he ponds singing are forecasting rain
A weather temperature of eight to nine degrees
With only the slightest sign of a breeze
Though a change in the weather does seem on the way
Tomorrow will bring rain so the weather forecast say
In the moonlit sky countless stars twinkling bright
So nice to be out on this September night.

Favourite Birds Of Many

Medium sized black and white birds I see and hear every day
Pee wee pee wee the tune they mostly play
True feathered Australians of them one can say
Different to most other birds in every way

In cup shaped nest of mud high on branch of tree
The female lay pink dotted white eggs of four two or three
They search for their food as they walk around
Mostly tiny insects they do find on the ground

In Australia magpie larks they are widely known
Favourite birds of many with ways of their own
Distinctive from others on their appearance and song
Once seen and once heard you never again get them wrong

Birds who do sing every day of the year
Every day them I do see and do hear
Of human kind they are never that shy
Pee wee, magpie lark or mudlark names they are known by.

It's Own Self Does Explain

Live and let live as the wise one does say
And perform at least one good deed if you can every day
Those who help people of helping in need
For their future good Karma are planting the seed
A fair go for some is not a fair go for all
And any act of kindness is never too small
What goes around comes around seems true to say
Karma does work in a mysterious way
Though you are one of the wealthy and materially successful in your town today
On how you treat other people far more of you does say
Than money or material gain can ever do
The kind and compassionate one though not as wealthy as a person greater than you
Live and let live as a truism remain
The meaning in this it's own self does explain.

For Our Every Mistake

Of life the more we do learn the more we come to realize
That we do know so little this not a surprise
New lessons for us for to learn every day
That we never stop learning does seem true to say
For our every mistake in life some price to pay
This is how it is life works in this way
We learn as we live and we live to regret
And the lessons that cost us we ought not forget
We can only live to be the best we can be
In this respect anyone else should not be any different to you and to me
If you wish to become one of the materially wealthy of the town
On your climb to the top do not drag others down
In life any act of kindness to another is never too small
And a fair go to some is not a fair go to all.

He May Never

He may never see the Paps of Shrone again
Or Caherbarnagh in the fogs of rain
Or Gortavehy with the stony face
He is growing old far south of his first homeplace

The countryside far north of this southern shore
Between the Towns  of Millstreet and Rathmore
Though for it he has long shed his last nostalgic tears
And he has no been back there for many years

Yet the mental pictures today he retain
Of the high mountain fields and memories in him remain
Of the greenness of old Hollymount in Spring
The gift of memory is such a marvellous thing

In the leafy groves in the Spring of the year
the singing birds of Nature he fancy he does hear
In that place where he first looked on the lamp of day
From where he now lives in distance far away.

True Individuals

Much the same today as it was long ago
That most of us humans are tribal happens to be so
Most of us political in our ways why otherwise pretend
Those of similar ideas to us we like to befriend
The true individuals as ever remain rare
With most others they have little in common to share
For to join in group discussions their type are not known
One can say of them they have minds of their own
The true individuals do not yearn for wealth and renown
And to become loved and popular on their side of the town
None of their sort does wish to become a well known name
And most of them die as they live strangers to even local fame
True individuals are self imposed outsiders in their community
At any group meetings or celebration them you never does see.

The Tolling Of A Funeral Bell

The tolling of a funeral bell in the chapel near
A reminder to me what is obviously clear
That someone is being driven on their last journey today
And that her or his lot will be my lot life works in this way
The slow tolling of a funeral bell unmusical to  hear
An end to the deceased person of joy. sorrow, suffering and fear
A similar bell will one day toll for me
Not in the distant future whenever this will be
That we are born as mortals why otherwise pretend
And life's journey for all of us comes to an end
And what happens to the soul when we draw our last living breath
Remains one of the great mysteries of post bodily death
On a morning in late Winter with the sun in the sky
The funeral bell is tolling in the chapel nearby.

Masked Lapwing

Masked lapwing or spur wing plovers names they are known by
At breeding time quite noisy and not in any way shy
When nesting they do trust none as a friend
They are very aggressive with nesting borders to defend
They mob humans or animals and birds of prey
That into their nesting territory happen to stray
In defence of their eggs or young above their territory they scream as they fly
To move on invaders beyond their borders their best they do try
With dark heads yellow wattles, unders white and backs brown
Birds often seen in the countryside and in parks of every rural town
On scrape in ground four blotched olive eggs the female bird lay
In their breeding Season they proclaim their territory by night and by day
Aggressive and noisy birds with ways of their own
In eastern Australia they are widely known.