Goodbye 2020

 Goodbye 2020 you go without a tear

For many you have been a very bad year

You left your trail of sickness, grief and death in C O V I D -19

No Land in the World to where it has not been

Goodbye 2020 your passing cause no regret

Though you are one many will never forget

For all of the wrong reasons memories of you will live on

And many relieved that to history you have gone

Goodbye 2020 you are of the past

And with only a few any good memory of you will last

To so much sickness, grief and death you did give rise

And few will remember you with tears in their eyes

Few good stories of you we will read of or hear

You brought to the Human World suffering, death and fear

So few people of you will have any nice thing to say

And one can only hope for the better at the birth of 2021 today

For you 2020 a final farewell 

You have been a year for many of Earthly Hell

Due to C O V I D-19 bad memories of you will live on

And many will feel happy to see you have gone.

A Critic

 He said why do you persist in penning of bad rhyme

You have written so much doggerel over decades of time

A literary fringe dweller without the rewards of pay

Online you add to your numbers of rhymes every day

You are one unworthy of literary note

Yet to penning of rhyme so much of your time you devote

So many like you in every village and city and town

Who write reams of stuff yet will never know of literary renown

That his words had truth in them i could not deny

But to his criticism i did verbally reply

I said i loved reading rhymes when i was a boy

And writing them nowadays i thoroughly enjoy

And my addiction to rhyming i could not give away

I hope to be doing it on my life's final day.

She Has Missed The Boat

 She is not the great beauty she was years ago

Time that ages all life has become her foe

In brown hair dye and cosmetics the years she tries to hide

The ego does have a great ally in pride

Four decades ago when her hair was natural light brown

She was the most attractive looking young woman in the town

She had marriage proposals from many young men

But she has lost most of her beauty since then

Without any children or a partner in her life

Perhaps she will never be anyone's wife

Some of the young males who proposed to her though wealthy in their ways she considered too rough

And others she dismissed for her as not good enough

No marriage proposals for her today

She has missed the boat as some like to say.

On The Passing Of Julia Murphy

 As human years go one who lived a long time

Eight decades ago Julia Murphy of Gortavehy was in her physical prime

At one hundred and six years of age she eventually passed away

In St Mary's Cemetery in Millstreet Town her last remains lay

One who deserves to be remembered in story and song

Few ever in Duhallow or Sliabh Luachra of her has lived as long

Until the end of her long lived life all of her faculties with her did remain

Memories of the long gone past she did retain 

The life story of Julia deserves to be told

At the end of the twentieth century she was very old

She retained the great gift of memory a marvellous thing

And of many an old song knew the words of and did sing

For all of us from life there is a final release

The legendary Julia Murphy she now is at peace

One who was kind and compassionate and made many a friend

Her long life journey for her has come to an end.

Memories of thg g

The Poor Getting Poorer

 In Countries of the World the gap  between the wealthy and the poor keeps growing ever wide

The poor are the people without a god on their side

Even in Communist Countries poverty is rife

That Communism breeds equality is not one of the truisms of life

Government for the wealthy only is how it seems to be

For every new millionaire many in poverty

Most of the billions of poor people in the World of today

Are struggling to exist on poverty line pay

That all people are equal is based on a lie

Though the billionaire becomes only equal to the pauper on the day she or he die

On saying the majority of the wealth of the World is owned by the privileged few

Is not saying anything on anyway that is new

In every Country of the World of today

The poor getting poorer only true to say.

On The Passing Of Darcy Duggan

 The breath that sustains life from his body has gone 

But far beyond his homeplace in Selby memories of him will live on

Darcy  Duggan is grieved by his children and grandchildren and Elizabeth his wife

A gentle, kind and honourable man he was one who loved life

In Selby and places beyond there he had many a friend

And sad to learn his life journey for him has come to an end

A friend of the natural environment Mother Earth of more friends like he was in need

For a better World to live in he helped plant the seed

Mother Earth and Nature in Darcy a good friend has lost

His passing from life to the natural environment has come at a cost

To the Earth that does feed us good friends like he was are few

And this is not saying anything that is new

Hope his passing from life for him was not a painful release

The good man Darcy Duggan he now is at peace

A true friend of Nature of him one can say

That the World for his passing is worse off today.

The Drummers

On a pleasant evening in December just before sundown

The drummers are drumming in the park of the town

Perfect weather for drumming around eighteen degrees

And the sound they create is carrying in the breeze

Every Friday evening in Summer in the park off of the street

For their weekly drumming session the drummers club do meet

The sound of their rhythm quite pleasant to hear

That they are well practiced at drumming is obviously clear

Over the years the numbers of drummers in the town have not grown

But they enjoy their hobby to each their own

And beating of the drums can be soothing to the troubled mind

And what makes drummers interesting there are few of their kind

In the quiet of the twilight with night closing in

The beating of their drums make for a pleasant din.

Due To C O V I D-19

 Many out of work due to C O V  I  D-19

And Jane a single mum whose son Declan who has turned nineteen 

Says he was made redundant when the factory closed down

And few jobs available on their side of the town

That it is a World for the wealthy there seems little doubt

In tough economic times the working class always seem to lose out

Every day unemployed people have a new challenge to meet

Where for every available job many do compete

That every pandemic and virus on the poor takes it's toll

Disadvantage is something beyond their control

Due to C O V I D-19 Jane's son Declan has become unemployed

And this is doing nothing for his sense of pride

The poor do lose out when times do get tough

Even at the best of times life's journey on them can be rough.

Poor Joe

 Not the man that he was decades ago

Of late life has not been kind on poor Joe

In his prime years the best footballer in the town

Back then his was more than local renown

A grandfather in his mid sixties alzheimers has robbed him of his memories of life

He does not recognize his family or Kathy his wife

A shell of the man he used to be balding and grey

That life can be cruel only true to say

Often the recipient of honour and praise

In the nursing home in his locked bedroom he now spends his days

He has lost the great gift of memory

How very sad a thing for his friends and his wife and family

He cannot remember the glorious day

When for him there was a mighty hooray

When in the football final he kicked the winning score

Going back in time some three decades or more

In his prime years a man amongst men

But things for him have changed not for the better since then

Sitting on his chair in his bedroom staring at the wall

Without any memory in his brain at all.

Joan O' Brien

 The last breath of life from her mortal body may have gone

But of the good person she was good memories of her will live on

In her family and friends and all of her who knew

The Joan O' Briens of the World to say the least few

She was a good person for to give her what is her due

To her higher self one who did live as true

So kind and so helpful in her own sweet way

For all of us there is this last night and day

A person who in her did have so much good

And if she could help you she certainly would

One can only hope that her parting from life for her was a painless release

In her mid seventies she now is at peace

On her life's journey friends by her were won

She will be remembered for good things by her done.

Was Not Telling A Lie

 Treat other people as you would like them to treat you

And live as a good person this the best you can do

Those who help people of helping in need

For their future good Karma do plant the good seed

There is more to living of life than living for the i

Whoever first said this was not telling a lie

Those who look on the financially down

As the unworthy people of the town

Themselves too will be judged on some future day

What goes around comes around seems true to say

In an age when the promotion of self has become an in thing

Many their own praises do like to sing

But there is more to living of life than living for the i

Whoever first said this was not telling a lie.

December In The Northlands

 In the branches of the leafless deciduous trees from here far away

The cold gales of December are soughing today

And the cattle in the farmyard sheds in the dawning grey

Are bellowing to be fed on silage or hay

The birds in backyards pecking on slices of stale thrown out bread

a cold, wet and frosty Winter of them is ahead

Most of the frail and the old of them will not live to see Spring

For every bird there is a last song to sing

December in the Northlands is a cold and wet time of year

And bird song is a thing anyone does not hear

And Christmas fast approaching and the birth of a New Year is near

And the sun seldom shines and the sky seldom clear

And storm water is gurgling in every roadside drain

And the freshening gales tell of oncoming rain.

To Another Time

On who is a poet not all literary experts agree

On this most have their opinions is how it seems to be 

Though most literary critics on one thing agree on

That the days of rhymers and rhyming poetry are in the long gone

Though no shortage of rhymers in the World of today

They are of the literary out of fashion it would seem true to say

It would seem in literature that rhymers and rhyme

In the twenty first century have lost out to time

We are in the age of the non rhyming poet

In their literary genre's seen as worthy of note

The praises of blank verse and blank verse poets the literary experts only do sing

In twenty first century literature they are the in thing

And as for the people who only write in rhyme

They are seen as belonging to another time.

In Some Ways He Is A Winner

 He is not one of those people who is a financial success

Just one of his sort there are many that the judgmental fail to impress

And the Judgmental are not  of the few there are many of them in every town

The people who dismiss as losers those who are financially down

A grandfather he has just turned seventy the hair on his balding head is silver grey

Nowadays he lives on a pension in his working life he worked hard for his every pay

Five years ago his wife of thirty five years did leave him she is now married to a younger man

For to find a new partner in his life he is one who does not have a plan

As a divorce settlement he sold the home he did share with her he now lives in a one bedroom rental flat

Since he retired from brick laying last Summer he has gained weight and got a bit fat

Yet he is one who does seem happy a veteran player and member of the local bowls club

And every evening with his mates he enjoys a few beers at the pub

Not one seen to be newsworthy and his sort nowadays are not rare

Yet he is not one who seems unhappy not one of those burdened by care

A working class ageing fellow who is growing old without a partner or wife

But is some ways he is a winner for he seems happy in his life

Not one of the town's admired people he is ageing as a stranger to fame

But he does have his own share of friends and quite a few know him by name

Not one of the lauded by the local judgmental though to them he has never done wrong

And on Saturday evening with his mates he feels happy singing in the pub sing-along.

Fond Memories Of What Was

 Today i would feel a stranger in Millstreet

In the green countryside where the waterways meet

And a stranger to many in old Millstreet Town

Near where i used to live when my hair was dark brown

When i was a young man many decades ago

Long before time it did become my foe

In the Millstreet area to many i was known

Where from a baby to a man i had grown

It has been thirty four years since i climbed Clara's Hill

Or heard the babble of the Claramore rill

With a silver tongue that is never still

To the bigger rivers flowing on with a will

To where my love for Nature as a boy did grow

In the fields of the rook and the badger and the silver back crow

I often return to when i visualize

Good old memories do linger i have come to realize

All migrants have their memories of for them what used to be

And today my memories of Millstreet are living in me

And though i may never climb on old Clara again

Fond memories of what was until death i will retain.

How Come

 How come we do not love some people who have never done us any wrong

Though in their ways they are good people with them we cannot get along?

We look on them as untrustworthy though to us they have never been unjust

Yet we do not see them as who they are and look upon them with mistrust

How come we cannot all love each other from lack of love and understanding  dislike does begin

In mistrust enemies are made and love it cannot seem to win

In this i am as guilty as others in that i cannot love everyone

If we loved each other without conditions there would not be wars to be won

But sadly this is not how it is perhaps our human flaws for this to blame

That we cannot see everyone as our equal and treat everyone as the same

It is true you cannot love everyone though love is a great gift indeed

Those who love others for who they are for a better World to live in sow the seed

How come i cannot love this person who have never done wrong to me

Perhaps of the flaws i was born with in death i will only be free?

It Is Easier For Some

 It is easier for some to judge far easier than it is to condone

But leave it to the one without sin for to cast the verbal stone

As a truism from the past that remains true today

But whilst everyone grows older few do grow wiser only true to say

It is easy so very easy for to criticize

But as is said a shut mouth never catches any flies

Far too many like to pick on the financially down

Who are doing it tough on their side of the town

In a World where for a few to win many have to lose

For to live as poor as a church mouse many would not choose

The judgmental of the World are not of the few

This is not saying anything that is new

This is how it was and how it is now and how it always will be

That it is human to be flawed as most would agree.

I Do Feel Sort Of Glad

I do feel sort of glad i am not young again

To live in a World where many must lose for a few for to gain

Where millions of people for this thing known as success compete

And every day for many brings some new challenge to  meet

Although i love life i feel glad i am near my life's journey's end

In a world where to billions of people money is their best friend

Spiritually the majority of people are quite poor indeed

As they are consumed by legal tender greed

The happiest person i know in the town

Is one who happens for to be often financially down

Yet of unhappiness in him there is not any trace

As he is seldom without a smile on his face

I will die as i live my life story untold

And i feel glad in a way that i am getting old.

On The Last Day Of November

 On the last day of November scarce a puff of breeze

The day it is warm close to to thirty degrees

The cattle chewing their cuds in the shade of the trees lay

For the coastal Moyne Shire it is quite a warm day

The magpies are warbling on the sunlit trees

And the warm air is full of the buzzing of bush flies and bees

With the sun on their dark wings swallows chirp as they fly

And white butterflies are seemingly dancing in the sky

On the last day of the southern calendar Spring

The golden billed male blackbirds in the sunshine do sing

The sweet scent of grass mowed for silage or hay

And in the sunny blue sky only a few clouds of grey

Earthly Utopia it cannot be that far away

From the coastal Moyne Shire on this beautiful day.

The Legend Of Maradona

 The last breath of life from his mortal body has gone

Diego Armando Maradona has died but his legend lives on

The World's greatest footballer on his prime day

For Argentina he gave many a memorable display

Maradona at his best was skilful, brilliant and fast

In his sixtieth year he breathed his last

Breath of life but his legend with him did not die

Though those who call him a god believe their own lie

One of the all time greats of the World game of football

Maradona was human and not a god after all

On the life of a god there is not a time span

Though a great footballer Maradona was just a mortal man

In Argentina at his passing widespread shedding of tears

And the legend of Maradona will outlive him for years.

In The Ways Of Money And Fame

 In the ways of money and fame so few good living people seem to succeed

That many wealthy people in positions of power are corrupted what more proof does one need

That money and fame most people impress

And being a good living person does not guarantee one with the tag of success

Many political leaders in the World are of criminal mind

Not honourable in any way or compassionate or kind

When installed in high office they only serve their own need

These people corrupted by material greed

Their postion of power in financial greed for themselves they only use

And the trust afforded to them they choose to abuse

There are so many good living people in the Human World of today

Who work very hard for their take home pay

Who will never be looked on as a great success

Whilst the wealthy corrupted and famous the billions impress.

Live And Let Live

 The beauty you see in others in yourself you do see

As others are our reflective mirrors is how it seems to be

And those you dislike reflect your darker side

The side of you from others that you do hide

What is wrong to you to others may seem right

Us humans are beings of darkness and light

Very few humans who are without some flaw

Imperfection it is part of natural law

Most of us born to life with some mental taint

She or he a rare being the living saint

The one without a friend does not have a foe

This only happens for to be so

Live and let live is the best you can do

And treat others as you would like them to treat you.

The Greatest Gift

 Life is quite precious would you not agree

Feel happy for every day you wake to see

Though you are having another bad day

Better times for you may be on the way

Better than any other form of success

Life is the greatest gift anyone does possess

Only earthworms live in the graves of the dead

Of only the living a future ahead

Life is our greatest gift only true to say

For many this will be their last living day

Success and failure dies with us in our life's final breath

The wealthy and poor become equal in death

The words of a wise one worthy of recall

That life it is the greatest gift of them all.

It Is Not This Way

 In life we choose our own destiny positive people do say

But with many so many it is not this way

Since the life's circumstances you are born into your future can decide

No life choices for billions of people born into poverty in Countries Worldwide

To keep the life in her hungry child the malnourished mother tries her best

That suckles the little nourishment she can give her or him on her almost milkless breast

Success in life for them will be if they remain alive

If the famine that ravages their drought stricken Land they will survive

In a Human World where many have to lose for a few for to gain

That only a minority of people have life choices as a truism remain

Few successful people born on the poor side of any town

Where it is seen as quite normal to be financially down

In a Human World where so many people live in dire poverty

Life choices only belong to the minority.

Aubane In December

 Old Mushera is cloaked in the low fogs of grey

And cattle in the farm-yard sheds are bellowing for silage or hay

The Christmas and New Year is not far away

And no songbird is singing in Aubane today 

Th weather temperature is just above zero degrees

And the cold wind is soughing in bare deciduous trees

Four months at least from the first breath of  Spring

When the wildflowers will bloom and the nesting birds sing

And on the deciduous trees new leaf buds will appear

Spring in Aubane is a green time of year

But on Winter nights in their Hall the people of Aubane dance their cares away

Where the past in the present is living today

In December few cars on the narrow Butter Road that winds up and down

Through the valley of Aubane above Millstreet Town

With the colder and wetter days of January with each grey dawning near

The chirping of the migratory redwing thrushes on the trees one does hear

In Aubane in December the weather seldom fine

And the sun in the grey sky some days never shine

But the people of Aubane in their Hall will be dancing tonight

And to the music of the accordeons will be laughing in delight.

Great People Indeed

 Of a better World to live in they help plant the seed

And of more of their sort the Human World is in need

Those with real love in them are becoming a rare breed

And one can say of them they are great people indeed

The people who willingly give can expect to receive

On such a life philosophy one can only believe

They help other people without expecting the rewards of pay

And perform a good deed or two every day

Their praises so few ever bother to sing

Yet joy to so many poor people they do help to bring

Never the heroines or heroes of their side of the town

The friends of the homeless and hungry and financially down

My admiration for their sort it only does grow

As they do have in them the bright inner glow.

In The Age Of The Self

 In the twenty first century self promotion is an in thing

And many their own praises do love to sing

In the Human World narcissism is on the rise

Their warped sense of self love some do not even try to disguise

The humble are few or so it does seem

And are looked on by many as those with a sense of low self esteem

We are in the age of the self in the twenty first century

And with many so many it is all about the me

A Human World where billions with each other compete

Where people who are down to earth are becoming harder to meet

Since others they feel no desire to impress 

They have opted out of the race to success

A World where many of singing their own praises never seem to tire

And the wealthy and famous the impressionable masses only admire.

A Beauty For To view

 A beauty for to view we do not have for to pay

Even city people in their parks see it every day

Where human development is non existent Nature reside

This is how it is in Countries Worldwide

From Mother Earth who does feed us we take and we take and in return little give

And Nature's flora and fauna independent of us can live

In fact humans in the name of progress on the removal of trees the habitat of fauna destroy

And the result less natural beauty for future generations of people to enjoy

Many species of wildlife endangered far too many to name

Due to human destruction of their habitat which is to all of our shame

The beauty in Nature to view it is free

And there is natural beauty to view in every bush and every tree

But sadly us humans no small part does play

In the destruction of natural beauty every day.

As Neighbours They Live

 As neighbours they live but as strangers they meet

They pass each other in silence on the street

Due to a boundary fence line dispute long ago

Going back in time some five decades or so

Great grandfathers they both are divorced from their wives

An old grudge between them to this day survives

Only silence when they meet no words for to say

No good morning, good evening, hello or good day

That old grudges live on as a truism remain

The meaning in this it's own self does explain

To forgive to either of them would be a loss of pride

Since they both do believe they have right on their side

That old grudges do live on is not a lie

As neighbours they live but it is not as friends they will die.

Laughing Johnny

 Ninety six years of living the hair on his balding head silver grey

For one of his age he looks fit and healthy and is doing quite okay

You ask him why he has aged so well with a laugh he does say

One reason for this i do laugh every day

And laughter as an antidote to worry  is a wonderful thing

And happiness to the mind it never does fail to bring

That it is the best of good medicine remains as ever true

A gift of joy to humanity for to give it what is only it's due

Laughing Johnny does laugh every day of the year

That he is one who does love life is obviously clear

In his late nineties without an ache or pain

Young at heart he somehow seems to remain

Johnny is one who does laugh every day

And he says that laughter keeps worries at bay.

Do Not Blame

 Do not blame the people who exist on the dole

Since they live their lives in a financial hole

Since factories and businesses are closing down

There are no jobs for them on their side of the town

Do not blame the people who work hard for small pay

It is not due to them the Country's economy is in a depressed way

For the tough times that many must endure they are not to blame

For to have a low paying job in hard times should not be to their guilt or shame

For the economic hard times for many blame every big company C E O

That they make many people unemployed happens to be so

They save the billionaire company directors billions in money by making people unemployed

Yet on making people poorer to them a sense of pride

For the increase in poor people governments are not blame free

Since they never legislate for people in poverty

For the Country's economic woes do not blame the financially down

Those who are doing it tough on their side of the town.

Tower Hill Of The Peek Wurrong

 Home to koala and yellow tailed black cockatoo

And echidna, emu, long billed corella, wallaby and grey kangaroo

Once spiritual home to the tribe known as the Peek Wurrong

Tower Hill in south west Victoria  that inspires the makers of  story and song

From the Town of Koroit a two kilometres walk, cycle, run or drive

To the inactive volcanic valley where legend survive

Of the Peek Wurrong people who in this spiritual place had their corroborees

Going back in time to a few centuries

Tower Hill an attraction to visitors from places near and far away

On the narrow road around the volcanic valley they drive every day

Nowadays there you may hear the call of a corella or a yellow tailed black cockatoo

But there you will never hear the sound of a didgeridoo

Where the legend of the Peek Wurrong does live on in time

Today they are remembered in song, story and rhyme.

A Great Person

 She helps to make the World better to live in

Yet for her acts of kindness plaudits she does not wish to win 

On the helping of poor people she goes out of her way

And she sows the good seeds of Karma every day

A grandmother in her early sixties and a divorcee

For the poor of the town she feels great empathy

In her paid work free hours she volunteers her time free

On behalf of the locals who live in poverty

The seeds of good Karma by her often sown

Her two daughters married with children she lives on her own

Every day she performs at least one good deed

And of many more people like her the Human World is in need

A divorced grandmother her hair silver grey

For helping those in need of help she never seeks any pay.

Nora O' Connor

 In Millstreet Town Nora O' Leary first saw light of day

But ninety years later she breathed her last in the U S of A

In 1960 she married a Coolikerane man Daniel O' Connor also known as Dan Connie O

Going back in time some six decades ago

For many years they owned a bed and breakfast business in the Catskills Mountains where they were well liked and well known

There they raised their children and the seeds of success by them were sown

Predeceased by her husband Daniel Nora recently died

Far from her first hometown in Duhallow's green countryside

The Millstreet Town Nora was raised in is quite a different Town today

But that is is not the only town to undergo change is only true to say

Most of those she went to school with in cemeteries lay

And the changes keep happening as time ticks away

A good mother and a good wife to Daniel and to many a good friend

Far from Millstreet Town her life journey came to an end

Her loss to Millstreet and Ireland was America's gain

Hope her passing from life for her was free of pain.

Of Nature We Learn

 Of Nature we learn something new every day

Yet her secrets from us she keeps hidden away

And the more we learn of her we come to realize

That of her we know little this is not a surprise

Nature is one who has ways of her own

And of her so much there remains to be known

Her wonders are many and her secrets not few

And every day of her we learn something new

The creatures around us every day we do see

Are not to us what they appear for to be

For our lessons to Nature no money to pay

And we learn as we live in truth one can say

Just learning about her such joy to us bring

And the students of Nature her praises love to sing.

We All Are So Different

 His hair silver grey that years ago was light brown

And he has never seen the World  beyond his hometown

Married to his teenage sweetheart for thirty five years his wife

The stay at home fellow is happy in his life

Far from her hometown in a city in the World out there

Their daughter in her early thirties is married with two young daughters she has found love and happiness elsewhere

Unlike her parents at home she did not stay

To them quite different of her one might say

She is happy in her adoptive home from her first hometown far away

Though she has planned a visit home with her husband and children in some future day

On the phone to mum and dad she often does speak

She does make it a point to ring them every week

Her mum and dad in their late fifties in their hometown together will grow old and die

That in our ways we all are so different is not a lie.

Donie Casey

 Sad news from Duhallow's old green countryside

Donie Casey the well known farmer and cattle breeder has died

A huge loss to his family and Marie his wife

Without having some cross to bear so few do go through life

In his over seven decades time span

Donie lived life as an honourable man

Among cattle breeders he was one who was widely known

But to the people in Cloghoula in Millstreet he was one of their own

Though he was one who was advancing in years

His passing from life would not have gone without tears

But for all of us there is a last night and day

In St Mary's cemetery in Millstreet his last remains lay

And though the last breath of life from his mortal body has gone

Good memories of him in all who knew him will live on.

One Can Only Feel For Jono

 One can only feel for Jono forsaken by Bella his wife

The day she left him and took with her their then four year old daughter Sue his saddest day in life 

That was six years ago she has since remarried in the U S of A

He misses his young daughter from him so far away

Bella left him for the love of another although he loved her true

Sometimes we do receive from life our undeserving due

He got over Bella leaving him but not the loss of his daughter Sue

And sadly where they live in the U  S he does not have a clue

Jono in his early thirties is living on his own

And of happier days in life he is one who has known

For another relationship he lacks the confidence to try

There is some truth in the old saying once bitten twice shy

Jono is a gentleman in his own gentle way

One who is unassuming who for himself never has much to say

He worries about his daughter Sue with her mother in the U  S of A

For loving unconditionally there can be some price to pay.

In Forty Seven Years

 In forty seven years this seems a long time

I am one who has written a whole heap of rhyme

Some of them a bit racy and some rather rough

And to be considered as poetry perhaps not good enough

Back in nineteen seventy three when my hair was dark brown

I penned my first rhymes just west of Millstreet Town

On going back the Seasons this seems long ago

And since time that ages all life has become my foe

I loved reading rhymes when i was a boy

And writing them nowadays i thoroughly enjoy

Like many with rhyming words one who loves to play

New rhymes do keep coming to me every day

If i said that i would quit rhyming this would be a lie

As i hope to be doing it until the day i do die.

A November Day In The Coastal Moyne Shire

 Though it has rained overnight it is warm today

With the sun shining bright in a sky blue and grey 

And the sweet scent of freshly mowed grass mowed for silage or hay

Wafting in the breeze blowing uphill from the bay

In November with the far warmer days of Summer quite near

In the coastal Moyne Shire it is a green time of the year

The lush green paddocks resplendent in their Nature's flowers

That have come to bloom in the recent Spring showers

The warm air full of the buzzing of bush flies and bees

And white butterflies seemingly dancing in the breeze

The wild birds proclaim their territory in song

Some of them by their voices one could never get wrong

And with the sun on their dark wings chirping as they fly

The welcome swallows are chasing insects in the sky.

Their Own Stories To Tell

 From the wealthy and celebrated to those looked on as the never do well

Everyone do have their own life stories to tell

But it is only the wealthy and famous we read of or hear about

Of any public recognition the poor are counted out

And though you may not be one of those born to lead

The story of your life would make for a good read

Since you are not one who does give up on hope

And despite your tough life without any help you do cope

You do not grow wealthier you only grow old

And sadly your life story will never be told

Since your journey in life on you is quite rough

You have hope for the better though times on you are tough

Though the billions of impressionable people your sort does not impress

Your great love of life does make you a success.

Tied To The Past

 As the clocks on our lives ever keep ticking fast

We live in our experiences of our youthful past

Ouir childhood experiences in us does stay

For as long as we live until our last night and day

That many people's political affiliations can be traced to their childhood is worthy of note

The oldest person in her neighbourhood for the same political party her late parents for today does vote

True to her parents political beliefs her lifetime she will stay

She feels that her to vote for any other political party them she would betray

To follow parental beliefs in life many are known

One can say their thinking is not of their own

But some who refuse to be tied to parental beliefs change for the better does bring

And change for the better is always a good thing

So many people loyal to parental thinking remain tied to the past

And the clocks on our lives ever keep ticking fast.

Sean Radley

 Whilst many in their promotion of self  for attention with others compete

Sean Radley is happy to promote Duhallow and Millstreet

His own praises one never does hear him sing

Such selfless humility nowadays is such a rare thing

Sean Radley one who makes new friends every day

And to help others always goes out of his way

Of anyone he never has a bad word to say

Respect to him for this one only can pay

For his promotion of Duhallow and it's people he is widely known

One can say he is in a class of his own

For honouring other people honour should be his due

To his higher self he is one who is true

For helping to raise the spirits of those feeling down

There should be one like him in every town

But the Sean Radleys of the World to say the least few

And this is not saying anything that is new

Over the decades his fans in numbers have grown

And in Millstreet they feel proud to claim him for their own

Whilst many for attention with each other compete

Sean Radley promotes Duhallow and Millstreet.

The One Who Feeds Us All

 Fruit at it's best to eat when it falls from the tree

In Nature this always occurs naturally 

And fallen fruit not collected by humans animals and birds do eat

To most creatures of Nature quite a tasty treat

Including us humans Mother Earth is the one who does feed all

Living things from the great to the small

Yet some of us humans abuse her for material gain

Why we abuse the one who does feed us seems hard to explain

It seems rather hard for to comprehend

Why for our material gain we harm Mother Earth who is our greatest friend

And what we do to our Earth Mother to our own selves we do

This is how it seems to me whatever about you

Fruit at it's best for to eat when from the tree it does fall

One of her gifts to us from Mother Earth the one who feeds us all.

Perhaps I Will Never

 Perhaps i will never see the Boggeraghs again

Their summits half  cloaked in the grey fogs of rain

Of such things the memories i only retain

That from the long ago in me does remain

For the what used to be i have shed my last tears

All i have are the memories of the long gone years

Of the fields of the rook and the silver backed crow

In the green countryside where the Blackwater flow

We all have our memories of the what used to be

Of things in reality we may never more see

In fancy a male orange breasted robin i hear

Singing on a leafy birch tree in the Spring of the year

In view of the Boggeraghs from here far away

Old memories of the past are all that are with me today.

Frank Brosnan

Sad news out of Rathduane on this December day

Frank Brosnan in his seventies from life has passed away

A likeable person of him one can say

Good memories of him in all who knew him will stay

The journey through time has come to an end

Of Frank who in life did make many a friend

One who to help others was always willingly inclined

An easy going person in his ways quite kind

A former bus driver and in his younger years in time going back quite a span

He delivered bread in his bread delivery van

In the villages and towns on the Cork-Kerry border one who was well liked and well known

Frank he did have a quiet charm of his own

In St Mary's cemetery in Millstreet the last remains lay

Of  Frank Brosnan a good person in every way.

The One At Peace With Self

 Patriotism, racism and religion people are known to divide

In every Nation and Country Worldwide

Add to these disputes over national borders and in truth one can say

Due to them in the Human World not one peaceful day

The one at peace with self is at peace with all

Wise words of long gone years well worthy of recall

For peace in the World with self we begin

And peace with self can only come from within

Of more people with a sense of respect and love of others the Human World is in need

For a more peaceful World to live in they help sow the seed

They help to keep the peace with multicultural communities everywhere

In every town and city in the big World out there

If you are at peace with yourself in your own mind

Then you are one who is an asset to human kind.

On Hearing A Male Greenfinch

 The song of a male greenfinch on a sunny November day

Bring back the memories of a place far away

Of green birds that are known for their wheezy like song

Once seen and once heard you never again get them wrong

Above their breeding territory in mid Spring the male birds display

On what is much similar to a butterfly flying in an undulating way

Their kind introduced to Australia going back a century or so

And in years of time this does seem long ago

People who know about birds have come to realize

That most birds by their appearance or song are not hard to recognize

And since in appearance and song they are different to most finch like birds is the reason why

That greenfinches are not hard to identify

With the sun in my eyes him i cannot see

The male greenfinch singing on a wattle tree.

What Is Life About

 We are born to mortality is not a lie

And the longer you live the sooner you will die

Like leaves of the Autumn to death we do fall

One wonders what life is about after all?

Of rational thinking our egos get in the way

The Earth that does feed us we abuse every day

We cannot own the Earth since to her we belong

On some of our thinking we have it all wrong

The future generations of people for our greed will pay

And of us they will not have nice things to say

of malnutrition due to famines caused by droughts many will die young

Our praises by them do not deserve to be sung

In the early twenty first century we are in the age of human greed

Of far more selfless people the Human World is in need

Despite our many human successes we have little to celebrate

Since the Earth that does feed us we do not appreciate

What is life about if our successes are based on material gain

And the mistakes of our ancestors by us repeated again

In a Human World where greed is not looked on as a sin

Sadly the greediest are those who always do win.

The Unsung Deceased

 Where the town's deceased are at peace they do lay

But we owe them for the prosperity we enjoy today

The women and men for future generations who paved the way

Though for them there never was a loud hooray

The unsung heroines and heroes of their side of the town

They lived and they died as strangers to renown

To live as honest and hard working not one's ticket to fame

The honourable town's deceased far too many to name

They did not grow famous and wealthy they just grew old and grey

Some of their descendants in the town today

The unsung deceased great people indeed

Of the town's present prosperity they sowed the seed

Sadly to the unsung they do belong

Though they ought to be honoured in story and song.

You Should Leave It To Others

 Though we are in an age where self promotion is an in thing

You should leave it to others your praises to sing

That self praise is no praise as a truism remain

The meaning in this it's own self does explain

You like boasting to others of the good things you do

But if you are good enough fame will come to you

You are just one of many into the promotion of self in a big way

There are millions like you are in the Human World of today

You may brag to others of how wonderful you are

But promotion of self will only get you so far

You are one of the best at bragging on your side of the town

But this will not give you a claim to widespread renown

You are not the type many look up to and admire

Since of those who like to brag of self most people do quickly tire.

Old Words Of Wisdom

 Old words of wisdom well worthy of recall

That pride it does always come before a fall

Soldiers in war zones who commit a war crime

If not to the law then to Karma will eventually pay for their sins in time

Our sins of the past catch up with us one day

For our wrongs against others always some price to pay

Soldiers who kill civilians in a deliberate way

Will eventually have to face their Karma in truth one can say

On such acts of cowardice the praises none does sing

For a soldier to kill an unarmed civilian is such a shameful thing

But in their deliberate acts of extreme cowardice they only sow for themselves bad karmic gain

The meaning in this it's own self does explain

War crimes every day are being committed Worldwide

By cruel and cowardly people who put Karma offside.

Familiar Black And White Birds

 Some know them as magpie larks or mudlarks and some know them as pee wee

Black and white mud nest building birds that one often does see

With their heads bobbing as they walk around

On their search for insects that they find on the ground

In cup shaped nest of mud high on fork of tree

The female lay pink dotted eggs of four, two or three

Familiar in their appearance and their pee wee song

Once seen and once heard you never again get them wrong

Birds one does see and hear often sometimes every day

Near where humans live they feel happy to stay

Familiar black and white birds with ways of their own

All over Australia they are widely known

Wherever in Australia you live them you are bound to hear and see

The birds known as magpie lark, mudlark or pee wee.

The Best Of The Rhymers

 The best of the rhymers on her side of the town

But she will never know of literary renown

For the literary critics dismiss rhyme as a thing of the past

And few things in life ever does seem to last

And though she will never be looked on as one worthy of great literary note

She is in her own right a very fine poet

On her side of the town there is no rhymers club

But she recites some of her poems in the local pub

To her appreciative audience who her greatly admire

And of listening to her recite her poetry never seem to tire

A sixty years old widowed grandmother who enjoys writing rhyme

Literary critics dismiss her poetry as of another time

Among the writers of her side of the town she is to the fore

And when she recites her poems at the pub for her always an encore.

The Beauty You See In Others

 The beauty you see in others is the beauty in yourself you does see

Since your mind is the reflective mirror of the self is how it seems to be

We all in our words become the creators of the thoughts in our mind

On our thoughts and opinions on others we can choose to be negative or compassionate and kind

Those who have in them the bright inner glow

In their positive opinions on others their compassion they do show

Our thoughts can make us great or seemingly very small

Words of a long deceased person that are worthy of recall

Every mind does have an inner voice

And on how we treat others we all have a choice

Those who in their words who like putting others down

Are never an asset to their side of the town

And you must be a good person is how it seems to be

If good in others you only can see.

Quite Predictable Of Him

 Amongst Donald Trump's loyal supporters there are not many wise

Since it does seem that they have not come to realize

That to voter fraud there can be more than one side

Their heroes loss in the Presidental election a huge loss to their pride

Donald has taken his loss of the Presidency in a predictable way

About voter fraud he has plenty to say

Because of his arrogance thousands of Americans of  COVID-19 have died

One of the main reasons a second term of President to him by the voters was denied

The supporters of Donald his praises may sing

But loyalty at times can be a fickle thing

Like Donald from the news headlines they will disappear

2020 for them it was not a good year

Joe Biden's win has wiped the smile off of Trump's face

And quite predictable of him he could not lose with grace.

Fairweather Friends

The friends of the  wealthy in numbers do grow

But it is only the poor who of their true friends who do know

It is only when you do not have the price of a second hand car

That you will come to know of who your friends are

They know who their friends are the poor of the town

The people who stand by them though they are financially down

Your true friends will not forsake you when you are financially stuck

And you are feeling despondent and down on your luck

True friendship is not based on the power of money why otherwise pretend

The wealthy have many a fairweather friend

If you are doing financially well in life it is true to say

That your fairweather friends as your friends will stay

It is only when you cannot afford a second hand car

That you come to realize who your true friends are.

When All Is Said And Done

 Where the emphasis is not on how much you do win

Is the sort of a World i would love to live in

Where there is no such a thing as social rank

For money and the privileges that go with it that we have for to thank

Of the judgments of others only death sets us free

The sort of Human World we live in perhaps not for one like me

The beauty of real love is not to be found

Where the narcissistic needs of the self does abound

So many do live in their own Earthly Hell

Judged by the judgmental as the never do well

Far too many people in every city and town

Who enjoy denigrating the financially down

When i look at myself i only do see

The things that i dislike in others that are living in me

And i too of late have come to realize

That the flaws i recognize in me in others i criticize

I yearn for to live in a World where none for fame and money compete

Where an unsuccessful person is not living to meet

A World free of the greed for materialism and the yearn for wealth and fame

Where everyone is equal and treated as the same

A World where people are not born into for to lose or to win

Where one is not judged by their race or the color of their skin

A world free of racism, fundamentalism, xenophobia, nationalism and human greed

The things that to wars only does sow the seed

I too am a flawed human being of this i won't lie

But i will never stop dreaming until the day i do die

Of a better World to live in for everyone

Hope does spring eternal when all is said and done.

Seamus Murphy

 He will never again walk in the fields of the rook and grey crow

In green Ballydaly Lower where the Blackwater flow

In the quiet countryside by night and by day

To the distant Atlantic babbling on it's way

Sad to learn Seamus Murphy has reached the end of his life span

He was known to all who knew or knew of him as a likeable man

Though death is a thing that we all have to face

Ballydaly Lower for him in it was a much better place

In life respect for his honesty for himself he had won

Seamus a good man who never harmed anyone 

From where he lived for years not that far away

His remains are at peace in Cullen Cemetery today 

He was not very old though he did not die young

And his own praises by him they never were sung

A true gentleman of him one can say

The Human World in need of more people like he was today

Gone from Ballydaly Lower he will never again

See the Boggeraghs half cloaked in the grey fogs of rain

For all of us from life a final release

Seamus Murphy the good man may he rest in peace.

Ursula Manley

Ursula Gleeson of Glounthaune came to live in Millstreet Town many years ago

As the wife of  the late Anthony Manley in the Square the man known as Mister O

To her family a good mother and to Mister O a good wife

A good woman who made many a friend in her long life

In Millstreet Town and Parish Ursula was well liked and well known

And her friends in numbers over the decades had grown

To live as a good person her claim to renown

One who will be sadly missed from Millstreet Town

In the running of the Manley drapery shop in the Town Square a leading role she did play

And Millstreet for her passing is worse off  today

Anyone who knew or knew of her never had a bad word of her to say

It was by good example in life that she led the way

One can only hope that her passing from life for her was a painless release

The last remains of Ursula Manley are now at peace

Her heart that beat with kindness is forever still

In St Mary's Cemetery in Millstreet in view of Cashman's Hill.

Times On You Are Tough

 Your journey in life on you has become rough

And you are out of work and times on you are tough

You must support your family and partner on a poverty line income from the State

And so many in your suburb due to COVID-19 have become unemployed of late

Though in hope of a job start you do not lack

Every job you apply for you receive a knock back

On such a low income you and your family do cope

And you are one who does not give up on hope

Of better times for you and your family in the days ahead

All is not lost where hope is not dead

Without fail you apply for a job start every day

Eventually your perseverance for you it will pay

With hope for the future you do keep the faith

Everything does come to those who do wait.

A November Day

 The sweet scent of grass mowed for silage or hay

Blowing in the warm breeze of a November day

In the sunny blue sky just a few clouds of grey

In near to perfect weather in truth one can say

A forecast  high for the day of a pleasant twenty degrees

And the nesting birds chirping and singing on the bushes and trees

The warm air full of the buzzing of bush flies and bees

And white butterflies seemingly dancing in the breeze

Blowing across the green paddocks from the nearby saltwater bay

One does wish every day could be like today

Such beauty that artists and writers inspire

Of singing Nature's praises one never could tire

The contented cattle on lush grass chewing their cuds do lay

And warmer days of Summer not that far away.

In Life Looked On As Failures

 The material things of the Human World in abundance you possess

And with your money and material gains others you like to impress 

High on the hill of  success on the materially wealthy side of the town

You are on the summit of material renown

In the twenty first century the accumulation of money personal power and admirers to one does bring

And so many in the town your praises do sing

But the power to do good only comes from within

And despite your money you are not one who does help to make the World better to live in

For the starving millions of the poor World out there

Since of your own needs you only seem aware

Though the majority with my way of thinking do not agree

Since i view success from them in ways differently

Vincent Van Gogh and John Clare just two people who died in poverty but never the less

In life looked on as failures but in death they became a success.

Man And Pig

 His pig a large duroc desexed old sow of skin rather brown

Follows him like a dog as he walks in the town

And some visitors to the town at man and pig stop and stare

That a pig can become a person's pet of  some do not seem to be aware

Of the man out walking with his pig any notice local people do not take

Just an every day occurence that even the local news headlines does not make

It is said that  his love for his pig cost him the love of his wife 

His pig his onl;y devoted friend in his life

His wife and their young daughter with her new partner live

But for the choice that she made her he does forgive

At least she gave him the choice when she said it is the pig goes or me

And on choosing the pig he says he chose wisely

His wife with their child chose to leave him when she did not get her way

And his pig ever faithful walks with him today.

Not Without Foes

 A saying that lives on from the long ago

That the one with many friends  is not without a foe

As a truism today it does remain

The meaning in this it's own self does explain

You may be a kind and caring person for to give you your due

But that everyone will not be your friend happens to be true 

You may be one of the nicest people on your side of the town

But always a few for to verbally drag you down

To the most popular people everyone does not wish to be a friend

Humanity works in this way why otherwise pretend

Though you may have many admirers there are always a few

Who do not like you as a person this is not saying what is new

You win some and lose some in life one suppose

And the one with many friends is not without foes.

The Last Of The Yangery Tribe

 In Yangery in unmarked graves from view well hidden away

The bones of the last of the tribe known as Yangery lay

Under land grazed by cattle and sheep and used for growing of potatoes at rest forever more

In distance not far from the southern shore

Going back in time perhaps three centuries

It is said the Yangery tribe befriended shipwrecked Portugese

And some Yangery women gave birth to their children a legend that today is told

And legend does live on whilst stories grow old 

At the arrival of the European colonizers  a few centuries ago

As the history of the coastal south west has it so

Hunted from their lands abused and oppressed

The Yangery people became the dispossessed

Sadly in human history some have to lose out for others to gain

A Townland named in their honour the only memory of the Yangery that remain

That they are an extinct tribe of them this is known

Ancestral crimes of the past few do wish to own

The first people of their part of the south west coastal countryside

The dark earth the bones of the last of the Yangery tribe hide

And extinction is forever happens to be true

But a monument in their honour one can say is overdue.

Money Speaks Every Language

 Money speaks every language in truth can say

And pity the poor of the World of today

The challenges of survival every day they do meet

No gold nuggets to be found on any street

The gap is increasing in the social divide

And the poor getting poorer in Countries Worldwide

And the wealthy grow wealthier and the generous wealthy are rare

And so many grow poorer for every new millionaire

Though losing is a thing anyone does not choose

For one to win big many do have to lose

In the running of any Country the poor do not have a part to play

In a fair Human World it would not be this way

And sad to think money says more about you

Than any other thing can hope to do.

In The Book Of Life

 In the book of life the lessons not few

And every day we live we learn something new

We will never stop learning until our last night and day

And for our mistakles always some price to pay

That we learn as we live as a truism remain

The meaning in this it's own self does explain

Those who believe they know everything are quite lucky indeed

Since of any more knowledge they are not in need

In this World where millions of people for success do compete

We learn every day from the people we meet

From the book of life knowledge we receive

That we learn as we live is not hard to believe 

And the more we do learn the more we come to realize

That we do know so little is not any surprise.

Gary 'Oh My Gosh' McCosh

 A former builder and emerging artist in him nothing posh

The fellow known to many as Gary 'Oh My Gosh' McCosh

In Warrnambool City, Port Fairy and Koroit Town

He is one who is carving his own renown

Not one of the most humble one of him can say

In public places his mannequin art on display 

He has his admirers but one must suppose

That the one with friends is not without foes

He is one i know of but do not personally know

And his artistic talent is on public show

He is well known in the City of Warrnambool and in coastal towns of the Moyne Shire countryside

And few artists do become famous Worldwide

Not everyone the praises of his art does sing

But at least he is one who does his own thing

Into self promotion on quite a big way

But plenty like him in the World of today

In every town and city in the World and in every shire

There are so many people who to greatness aspire

But greatness it only does come to  the few

And this is not saying anything that is new

Though not down to earth he is not one who is posh

The south west Victoria artist Gary 'Oh My Gosh' McCosh

And of his worth as an artist ask one other than me

As i am not an art critic or never will be.

Anthony Martin Fernando

 Anthony Martin Fernando an indigenous Australian activist and toymaker in Europe travelled far and wide

An intelligent and eloquent man who was fiercely on his people's side

Born in Woolloomooloo in April 1864 in Ilford Essex in England in January 1949 he died

Due to his fight against the injustices done to his people in Australia greatness of him cannot be denied

Anthony Martin Fernando's fight for his people's rights lives in history today

On his travels in Europe against the British injustices against his people in Australia he did have his say

The first indiogenous person to highlight the wrongs to his people in Lands from Australia far away

Far from his home Country his last remains lay

A hero of his tribe of indigenous  Australian race

One who made his own history far from his first homeplace

Far from his homeshore where he experienced racism in the extreme

But he was one who refused to be cowed into a sense of low self esteem

Against the injustices done to his people Anthony Martin Fernando spoke out

In his adventurous life of his courage he left none in doubt.