So Lucky Are They

It is a great gift they are born with to live
The people who have in them the power to forgive
A grudge is a thing in them that does not stay
They are willing to forgive the sins against them of yesterday
For those who have wronged them in the past a grudge they do not bear
On this they does have a gift that is rare
They refuse for to allow thoughts of revenge for to poison their mind
On settling of an old score they are not this way inclined
A sustained sense of grievance against one who has wronged them in them does not last
And they forgive those who have sinned against them in the past
Some people their grudge leads them to commit a serious crime
And locked in a prison do end their lifetime
So lucky are they with the power to forgive
A sense of revenge in their minds cannot live.

Of Worrying How You Appear To Others

Of worrying how you appear to others why waste your time
To be different in your ways to most it is not a crime
Of the kindest person living in the town today
Not everyone who knows her or him has nice things to say
You may do lots of good on your side of the town
But always a few in their words for to drag you down
The wise words of a wise person well worthy of recall
In life you well may win many but you will not win them all
In the Human World we live in today
Some see compassion as a weakness which seems sad to say
The greedy financially wealthy so many admire
And just to be like them in life their desire
But it is of more of the kind and compassionate the Human World of is in need
For they are the people who sow Karma's good seed.

Why Blame The Government

The weeds of the garden do stifle the flower
Why blame the government since we gave them the power
We feel angry with them call them every bad name
But for they being in power we only have ourselves to blame
We need so called leaders to follow are we any smarter than sheep
We feel disappointed their election promises they failed for to keep
Most politicians as we do know in their words do deceive
And bigger fools we are them for to believe
The next time for another political party you say you will vote
But it may be important of you to take note
That most members of all political parties do not mean what they say
In most politicians it is in their nature to behave in this way
Suppose most of us receive from life what is only our due
And the government we get we deserve happens  for to be true.

Rather Lucky Indeed

The black cattle in the brown paddock out there
Of climate change and global warming are quite unaware
Since enough grass and water in life their only need
One can say that they are rather lucky indeed

To them the changing weather is not in any way strange
And they live free of worries of global warming or climate change
As calves they learn of survival as to adults they grow
But of a life that ends in death of they do not know

Yet that they too have feelings not beyond belief
The mother cow for her lost calf will cry out in grief
In Nature the bond between mother and offspring is strong
Those who will tell you different have got it all wrong

Most cattle are born to produce milk and meat
They are among the creatures us humans do eat
Yet this is a thing they do not realize
And death comes to them as a great shock and surprise

One can only feel envious of them in a way
As long as they have enough grass and water every day for them a good day
The cattle in the dry brown paddock out there
Few worries in common with us have to share.

So Much Talk About Failures

So much talk about failures in the Human World of today
Only serious criminals are failures in truth one can say
The good living though in poverty
Should not be classified as failures would you not agree
So many poor  people in life doing it tough
Are seen by the judgmental as the not good enough
A successfully lived life should not be based on one's financial gain
For the reason for this there should not be need for to explain
Failure is a word far too often used for to put good living poor people down
It is so wrong to classify as failures the poor of the town
Good living people who never harm anyone in any sort of a way
Not a nice World for many to live in the Human World of today
A failure is not one who lives in poverty
If she or he is a good person would you not agree?

A Refugee

Locally to many his is a known face
He is known as the man from the far away place
In the late nineteen fifties in his late teens
He came to this Country as a refugee from Hungary when he was only nineteen
Since then his home City of Budapest he has not seen
Ten times a great grandfather his Australian wife died ten years ago
And time that ages all life has become his foe
The only part of Hungary that he does retain
The accent he brought with him with him does remain
A likeable old fellow in his own quiet way
He is one who never does have that much to say
Whenever i see him he is on his own
To many in the locality he is one who is known
He still lives in the home he shared with his deceased wife
And there it does seem he will live out his life.

Blame The Greenies

The Prime Minister this so called religious fellow ask people for a change in the weather to pray
But out there in the grasslands and forests the bushfires keep burning night and day
Prayers will not stop the fires burning in a Country that is crying out for rain
At present we are not in need of a coal loving government as the climate scientists explain

People have died in the big flames so many homes burned down
Every day in the news we hear of fires threatening another town
Billions of insects have been wiped out and so many animals and birds have died
People who live in fire areas must feel they do not have a god on their side

For unremoved fuel on the ground of fire areas the government have found a group to blame
They have found for themselves a scapegoat that in years from now will be to their shame
They blame the greenies for the fires but future generations will not see it this way
The Green Party are not in government in the Australia of today

The Greens were never the government of Australia so to blame them does seem a cop out
By the present Australian Government politicians so one must ask what are they on about
Future generations of Australian people will not be blaming greenies for the bad economic conditions they have inherited to live in
But then politicians do go to the gutter for to do anything for a win.

Every Day I Do Think Of Millstreet Town

Every day i do think of Millstreet Town
And those old streets i often walked up and down
But there i would be a stranger to many today
Since from there i have been a long time away
The old rushy fields where the waterways meet
Do remain in my memories of Millstreet
Many of the people i knew there who in Millstreet did stay
Like me would have known of a far better day
We are born as mortals when all is said and done
And time that rusts iron the master of everyone
The babies when i left Millstreet now past their lives prime
Eventually we all become victims of time
And only the memories with me now remain
Of streets that i may never walk on again.

Of Singing Her Praises

She is one that i do not often see
The beautiful person who lives close to me
In her mid sixties her hair silver grey
She must have looked beautiful in her prime day
Never a mother or never a wife
To the helping of others she devotes her life
As a younger nurse in refugee camps far away
For years she helped the sick without the rewards of pay
One who does always plant Karma's good seed
Every day of her life she performs a good deed
Not one among the admired of the town
She does not even know of local renown
But she is one that i do greatly admire
And of singing her praises i never could tire.

The Damaging Whisperers

In their words they have dragged many a good person down
The damaging whisperers of every town
Bereft of compassion and bereft of ruth
They enjoy spreading stories that are lacking in truth
Character wrecking by them is thoroughly enjoyed
So many good reputations by them have been destroyed
The people who live without honour and pride
Behind their damaging words as cowards they do hide
They are not good people in any sort of a way
False stories they do like to spread every day
The damage they do to good people is beyond repair
One can say of them that they are very unfair
How damaged in their thinking people like them are
With their criticisms they go far too far.

I Yearn For A Cottage

I yearn for a cottage far from the nearest town
By a babbling creek that flows ever brown
Where i wake in the dawn to the butcherbird's song
His bubbling notes one does never get wrong
I feel tired of the life where people for material success compete
And of the noise of the traffic of the busy street
A cottage by a creek in view of a wooded hill
Compared to human created noise Nature's voice never shrill
Though everyone's wishes for them do not come true
We all have our dreams in life for to pursue
I am far from town when i visualize
By the wood where the birds chirp and sing at sunrise
In the cottage near where the old creek does flow ever brown
Far away from the traffic of the noisy town.

His Ghosts Of Despair

For many years he has been battling his ghosts of  despair
But you never hear him say that life is unfair
He knows about living life in Earthly Hell
Life is never easy on the mentally unwell
Mental illness it can be said has ruined his life
He does not have children or a partner or wife
Though he is one who is often mentally down
On his good days one of the nicest people in town
Doctor prescribed medication helps to keep him sane
The reason over time so much weight he did gain
He knows what the tough times in life are about
Though often mentally down he refuses to be counted out
Of tough times in life he is he is one who has known
In his one bedroom flat he lives on his own.

An Elderly Citizen Of Koroit Town

An elderly citizen of Koroit Town
The Street of Commercial Road she often walks up and down
A grey haired widowed great grandmother showing the wear of time
Her children are now past their physical prime
One can say of her she is one of Koroit's own
In the Town in the Moyne Shire she is quite well known
In Koroit fifteen kilometres from the City of Warrnambool
All of her children attended primary school
Perhaps in her late eighties or early nineties maybe
She is one growing into old age gracefully
For her years quite attractive of her one can say
She must have been quite a beauty on her day
Great changes in Koroit in her lifetime of she has known
One ageing with grace she lives on her own.

Good Political Leaders

Voter backlash is a thing they never does fear
Good political leaders make their feelings clear
What the voters want to hear they do not always say
Even though for this their political career is the price they may have to pay
But on saying Worldwide honest leaders are of the few
Is not saying anything that is in any way that is new
That honest politicians are few happens to be so
From the voters they never receive a fair go
In their words most politicians are known to deceive
And if one of them speaks the truth the voters do not believe
A good political leader to her or himself remains true
And for this in itself great credit they are due
But sadly the politicians who speak the truth lose many a friend
And the voters bring their political career to a premature end.

It Can Be Said Of Nature

That we learn as we live only true for to say
And of Nature we learn something new every day
But the more we learn of her the more we realize
That of her we know little this not a surprise
It can be said of Nature she has ways of her own
And so much about her remains as unknown
Her secrets are many and her wonders not few
And every day of her we learn something new
The one who from a tiny seed creates a beautiful flower
Remains as the World's number one super power
That she does have her moods is obviously clear
When angry in everyone she instils fear
But when she is at peace her beauty is on display
A beauty that is around us every day.

Nobody Gets Younger

It is obvious that time it has become his foe
He is not the man that he was years ago
In his prime years the fastest athlete in the town
All he has are his sports medals and memories of his youthful renown
He is one who has known of better days in life
Sometimes i see him walking in the park with his aged long term wife
Time that ages all things has them walking slow
Their decades of living on them clearly show
Great grandparents in their early eighties their best years long gone
Nobody gets younger on them time is ticking on
In his physical prime when his hair was light brown
He was the number one athlete in the town
Those were the days when he could run fast
And all he has now are memories of the past.

Australia's First People

Descendants of the first people of this southern Land
The ways of their Country they do understand
Around their ancestral history the legends have grown
And on how long their ancestors have lived in Australia remains as unknown

When Australia's first people talk of My Country they are not talking of Australia wide
But of their ancestors tribal lands in their ancestral countryside
They are people who have a strong sense of place
In their d n a they carry the genes of Australia's first race

Change has come to their Country since Cook's first fleet arrived
Dispossessions and massacres they have survived
And though they are not the rulers of the Australia of today
For the crimes against their ancestors they are forgiving of them one can say

For the annexation of their Country their price was huge to pay
But their title of Australia's first people from them cannot be taken away
Tribal by Nature Australia's first race
When they talk of Country they are talking of place.

On Australia Day 2020

The sun at times peers from behind clouds of grey
And the silver gulls mewing in the park by the bay
From the celebrations in the big town eight kilometres away
How nice to be alone with Nature on Australia Day
Nature she has not been happy of late in this Land of the south
Parts of this vast Country ravaged by fire after Seasons of drought
But to this quiet spot by the ocean fires have not been near
In the prime of the Summer in the southern year
Why so many love her not hard to understand
Australia she is such a beautiful Land
Her beauty has inspired the writers of song, story and rhyme
The Motherland of the people of the Dreaming Time
From the noisy celebrations in the big town eight kilometres away
In the park by the ocean Nature is at peace today.

One Can Say Of Him

One can say of him that he has known it tough
But he is one who has proved himself good enough
Many in his position today are in jail
But he is one of the few who has refused to fail

The child of abusive parents tough times he has seen
Homeless and on the street at the age of fourteen
Hungry and friendless on the poor side of the town
He knows how it feels to be financially down

Quite a happy man on his twenty fourth year of life
With a pretty two year old daughter and a beautiful wife
Working in a job that he likes with a good take home pay
One can say of him he has come up the hard way

On the streets at fourteen his future looked grim
There is quite a lot to like about in him
Life's toughest challenges at a young age he did meet
His is one of the rare success stories from poverty street

His is a story of success to inspire
In him one can say quite a lot to admire
One in life who was down but refused to be counted out
Of his worth as a person he leaves none in doubt.

Wise People

Wise people for themselves have little to say
They do their own thing and live in their own way
Mind games are a thing that they never do play
And they learn as they live something new every day
Wise people realize in life there is so much to learn of and know
They are blessed to have in them the bright inner glow
By their words of wisdom few have been inspired
Wise people sad to say are never among the admired
And they are quite rare among the minority
And more of the pity this does seem to be
Never the heroines or heroes of any town
One can say they live as strangers to renown
They never receive the credit that they are due
But to  their higher selves they remain ever true.

The Now Is Today

It has been a while since i saw Clara's Hill
Or heard the babbling of the ever flowing rill
In the old fields that i loved long ago
Long before time it did become my foe
Only the memories does seem to last
Of the what used to be in the distant past
Time does not wait it just ticks on and on
Tomorrow will dawn and yesterday has gone
The past just a memory of the what used to be
Of beauty we knew of to never more see
Some will tell you in life we create our own reality
Though others with such thinking do not agree
What the future holds for us who is to say
We can only live in the now and the now is today.

Some Of The Best Things In Life

Some of the best things in life for to view are free
The beauty in Nature we need not pay to see
The pink flowers in bloom on the flowering gum trees
And leaves gently stirring in the freshening breeze
That blows up the hill from the saltwater bay
And in it comes wafting the sweet scent of hay
Nature is one who lives in her own way
Her sights, scents and sounds does bring joy to our day
Memories of her beauty in Spring and Summer remain
Such as wildflowers glistening in the sunshine with tiny drops of recent rain
Of Nature every day we learn something new
Her wonders are many and her secrets not few
For the best things in life we do not have to pay
The beauty in Nature around us every day.

My Life's Journey Has Not Taken Me

My life's journey has not taken me to literary renown
Far south of Claraghatlea just west of Millstreet Town
Where on old Clara Mountain as ever looks down
Where i used to live when my hair was dark brown
Just one more who has known of a better day
Time has left me looking older and balding and grey
To the warbling of the Australian  magpies i wake every day
In time and in distance the past far away
Though few in their lifetime see their dreams come true
I too had my own hopes and dreams to pursue
In hopes of times better like all i do live
But we must accept what life to us does give
With rhyming words i am one who loves for to play
And i add to my numbers of rhymes every day.

Critics Are People

Critics are people who are not known for kindness they feel it is their right for to criticize
Yet they do not take kindly to any criticism of them what goes around comes around they don't seem to realize
About people they dislike they are happy to spread negative  stories without checking if these stories have their source in lies
Most known critics  are not known to be nice people and it can be said of them that they are not wise
In a Human World of billions of people critics are not rare which seems sad to say
One can say of them that they are not the sort for to help others who go out of their way
Whether it be the amateur critics or those who for their criticism do receive pay
Their numbers seem for to be on the increase no shortage of them in the World of today
I ought to know for i too am a critic flaws we dislike in others in ourselves we do see
It is so easy to criticize others so very easy as easy as can be
Those who do overlook the flaws in others and look for the good in them the good they do find
We all have it in us to live as better people and in our ways be more compassionate and kind
In the Human World no shortage of critics their numbers on the increase in every town
They do not seem to realize it is as easy to praise people than in their words for to drag them down.

An Old Pipe Layer

One of  the crew in the mid sixties who laid water pipes in Ballarat
Few of them did live for to grow old tired and fat
Near his physical prime then that was long ago
And time that ages all people has become his foe

In his mid to late twenties then in his life's prime
Balding and grey haired now showing the wear of time
Physically strong, tall and handsome and muscular back then
He did hold his own among the strongest of work hardened men

Of his time in Ballarat he has many stories to tell
Of his nights drinking with his workmates in the Peter Lalor Hotel
After a hard day's working they went to their houses of lodging in peace every night
And they never took part in or did cause a fight

In his years as a pipe layer never an easy pay
He did earn his living in the hardest way
In his best years at laying heavy pipes he earned his renown
And he worked on pipe laying crews in many a town

Though many women have come to and gone from his life
He is growing old without children or a partner or wife
In Ararat City he first saw light of day
But far north of there he is showing time's decay

He did have some good times in the distant past
But on looking back the years he realizes time did go so fast
He will turn eighty on his next birthday
That time wearies the strongest only true for to say.

I Must Be A Strange One

I must be a strange one since it bothers me
That people wearing dark glasses their eyes i cannot see
The mirror to their very souls they do disguise
Their souls hidden from all others when dark shades cover their eyes
Doubtless many of them protecting their eyes from damage of sunlight
One of humanity's greatest gifts is the gift of sight
But people not wearing dark glasses more friendly it does appear
That their body language is less private in most cases seems clear
People wearing dark glasses i meet every day
The colour of their eyes from me hidden away
Behind dark glasses their mirrors to their souls hidden from view
Even on sunless days people wearing dark spectacles are not of the few
Perhaps i am a strange one in my own way
One among many in the Human World of today.

In The Huge Fires

In the huge fires that have ravaged large tracts of land in the Australian countryside
So many insects, amphibians, lizards and animals and birds have died
And money cannot replace what has been lost
The price of the damage at too high a cost
Whilst government politicians play their political point scoring game
At the greenies and pyromaniacs they point the finger of blame
Whilst ignoring the part that carbon emmissions in huge fires do play
For the industrial revolution is this part of the human price to pay
The government claim that due to opposition from green groups not enough of fuel for fire cleared from the ground
To save their political futures any excuse to be found
Their blaming of others for political advantage for them to nothing will amount
As the government of the day for the damage done by fires they will be held to account
In the fires that have been burning for months as well as some humans milliions of life forms have died
And homes burned to rubble and large tracts of country blackened and destroyed.

We All Have our Passions And Hobbies

The rhymes that come to me in notebook i write down
And post to an online literary site but never in hope of wealth and literary renown
Just something i love doing and little else more
Rhymers in the World are by the million score

We all have our passions and hobbies would you not agree
And it is each to their own is how it seems to be
And you in your life interests very different to me
Most of us in our interests look at life differently

The fans of sports and famous sports people growing in number by the day
And wealthy celebrities and entertainers  are not short of admirers only true to say
On the World stage of big winners their big parts they do play
Suppose it can be said of humanity it works in this way

We all have our hobbies in life to pursue
And what is enjoyable to me may not be so to you
But then how boring we would be for want of a better name
If we all shared similar life interests and in our ways were the same.

Pacific Gulls

By the far southern ocean one sees them every day
Big black and white gulls on beaches and sandy bay
Mostly in pairs for their aggression towards other birds known
Pacific gulls are birds who have ways of their own
They mostly eat shrimps and small life forms washed in by the tide
And unlike silver gulls they never venture far inland to the countryside
Or they never fly far out to ocean on the shore they like to stay
Like most creatures of Nature they live in their own way
Distinctive in their ways with a hoarse sort of call
Beside them most other gulls seem rather small
On small islands on nest of twigs on ground the female birds lay
Two to three olive blotched eggs from land a safe distance away
Of human kind they show a respectable fear
They fly away if to them you do come near.

Bush Fires Side Affects

In the smoke from the bushfires burning far away
The sun it it is hidden in smog clouds of grey
The air is unhealthy to breathe in and so dry
From smoke that has travelled hundreds of kilometers by sky
For Global Warming unclean air one price we do pay
Far north of here the bushfires have been burning for many a day
Blown by the wind the smoke has reached the far south
Of our price for human created carbon emissions there can be little doubt
The side affects of the fires that have caused so much damage has spread far and wide
In a pall of grey smoke above the southern countryside
We do need a few hours of storm to blow the smoke away
From above the coastal lands out to the ocean beyond the bay
The air is unclean though the weather is dry and fine
And through the greyness of the smoke the sun does not shine.

Mr Humble

I see Mr Humble in the park today
He smiled at me on passing my way
In his late forties in his brown hair some grey
For himself he never has much for to say

With a son and daughter in their early twenties he lives with his wife
One can say of them that they live the quiet life
The humble do live as strangers to renown
They are never among the admired of the town

Self promotion it is not Mr Humble's thing
His own praises he is one who never does sing
Not a member of the town's sporting or social club
And he seldom pays a visit to the local pub

One who does work hard for his every pay
Out of the public limelight he wishes to stay
One of the down to earth people of his street
For attention with others he never compete

To be wealtthy and famous he feels no desire
People like Mr Humble are not hard to admire
Though in any community not to the fore
Of their sort humanity is in need of far more.

I Live In My Own Way

Of my own shortcomings i am all too aware
And what others say of me i cannot say i much care
I live in my own way and do my own thing
And i only hope to be living to see next Spring
When Nature is blooming everywhere around me
And nesting birds chirp and sing on bush and tree
And Mother Earth she is looking lush and green
And Nature at her very finest is seen
In this Human World where many for this thing known as success compete
For most in life every day some new challenge to meet
I feel too old for others to be trying to impress
And feel no desire to compete for success
I just live in my own way and do my own thing
And i hope to be living for to see next Spring.

Grey Butcherbirds

In the wooded park by the country town
I hear him singing just before sundown
One of the birds quite well known for their bubbling sort of song
Once seen and once heard never again to get wrong

Dark head, grey back and white unders and white tips to shortish tail mostly dark
In their range his type one sees often in wood or treed park
Grey butcherbirds for them is their common name
To be different from most others one of their claims to bird fame

Slightly bigger than a magpie lark in their breeding Season they are birds to fear
They will even attack any human to their territory too near
In their breeding time none to them a friend
With aggression their nesting site they does defend

To eat when feeling hungry during the day
On spike on branch they impale their small prey
With sharp hook on the tip of their grey and dark bill
Small birds, mice and skinks they do hunt to kill

In untidy cup nest of twigs lined with grass on fork of branch of tree
The female lay green pink spotted eggs of five, four or three
Within their range they are rather well known
And one can say of them they have ways of their own.

He Is Not Looking Forward

He is not looking forward to the years ahead
And at times he does feel he would be better off dead
Homeless and often hungry and struggling to cope
In his mid teens and almost bereft of hope
Of finding a job due to a lack of a postal address
To have a home to live in to him would mean success
Due to abusive parents he is on the street
And the challenges of survival every day he does meet
Of any happiness in life due to birth circumstance
He is one of those young people who stand little chance
The life he does live is one he does not choose
Apart from his desire to live he has nothing to lose
And though hope of a good future from him has gone
His love of life does help him to live on.

She Will Never Again

She will never again have a man in her life
For five years she lived as an abused wife
With her six year old daughter she feels happier today
As single and contented she is determined to stay

Sad stories of her five years of marriage she has of to tell
The man she loved and married did not treat her well
His beatings on her took their mental and physical toll
She feels glad he has found another woman for to control

But alcohol is a thing that he cannot blame
For his violent aggression and acts of shame
Since his alcohol intake is known to be small
He is violent without any liquor in him at all

Before they were married love between them did bloom
On their wedding day he did look her handsome groom
But when married his real self he no longer did hide
And love between them it was quick to subside

Her happy days with him were only in the few
Last year he left her for somebody new
The tears she shed at his leaving were not tears of grief
But tears of joy at her sense of relief

In her early thirties not even a middle aged woman
In her life there will never be another man
Brown haired and attractive and lovely to behold
She has vowed that as single she will grow old.

In Park Lake Pertobe

No freshening breeze blowing from Lady Bay
It is warm and humid in Warrnambool today
The sun is glowing bright in a clear blue sky
And above Park Lake Pertobe swallows chirp as they fly
Yesterday quite a nice day around twenty degrees
But today much warmer over thirty without any breeze
Quite warm one can say for the city of Warrnambool
Where the weather can often be breezy and cool
Park Lake Pertobe with patches of brown i have seen it more green
The silver and white silver gulls in the warm sunshine preen
Though pretty to look at quite a common sight
Known Nature's coastal scavengers resting in the sunlight
The moorhens and swamphens feed on the lakeside
And from the nearby ocean one can hear the rumble of the tide.

Any Improvement Of Self

Any improvement of self is never too small
The power to live as better people is in us all
Good people towards others respectful and kind
Those in need of helping friends in them does find
A good person is one who is willing to share
And of the needs of others is all too aware
Of one in need of help a kind person never turns away
Kindness, compassion and generosity are similar does seem true to say
The power to be a better person in you is within
To make a better World to live in with yourself you begin
And what applies to you also applies to me
A better World begins with ourselves is how it seems to be
How financially well off  you are as a person does not mean you are good
That money doess not define you as a person by many misunderstood.

Of Mother Earth

Of Mother Earth new things for to learn every day
That her wonders are many in truth one can say
She is the one who does feed all
Life forms including humans from the great to the small
When we do not pay her the respect she is due
To our own selves we are not being true
What we do to our Earth Mother to our own selves we do
This applies to everyone including me and you
Due to pollution of waterways less toxic free water to drink
And due to destruction of their natural habitat more wildlife on extinction brink
Our Planet Earth is for us to live on and it's beauty to enjoy
And not for the sake of our greed to destroy
Us humans seem lacking in wisdom indeed
When we abuse what for our survival we need.

Bill Slade

Luck not on his side is how it seems to be
He died in Omeo in a bush fire crushed by a falling tree
Bill Slade a Park's Victoria Firefighter from Wonthaggi who died in a tragic way
Deserved a better ending to his life in truth one can say

A very brave fellow in his sixth decade of life
He leaves in Wonthaggi his grieving family and wife
He died a true hero fighting a huge fire
His bravery makes him a man to admire

For firefighters who die fighting fires there should be a street parade
And from memory they should not be allowed for to fade
The praises of Bill Slade deserve to be sung
He died in a brave way not old or not young

Bill Slade is one worthy of life's farewell tears
His loss in his family will be felt for years
To be where huge fires are burning is not a safe place
Firefighters grave danger often have to face

In Wonthaggi Bill Slade he had many a friend
But sadly his life came to a tragic end
Far from his home and family in Gippsland's coastal countryside
In Omeo fighting a huge bushfire he died.

Tomorrow Will Dawn

Tomorrow will dawn just like it does every day
And time on our lives ever ticking away
And though your better days in the forever gone
Your great love of life makes you want to live on
Forget about death and your end of life plan
Just live for as long as you possibly can
Live for you too will be one of the forever dead
And more good days of you may well be ahead
Life as humanity's greatest gift does remain
This is something that one should not need to explain
Of our personal necessisties it tops every list
Without our gift of life we just would not exist
No guarantees in life as the wise one does say
But tomorrow will dawn just like it did today.

In Yarpturk On A Warm Day

The warm air full of the buzzing of bush flies and bees
In a weather temperature high of over thirty degrees
The sun glowing bright in a sky blue and grey
Six kilometers from Koroit Town in Yarpturk today
The unmistakeable warbling quite pleasant to hear
Of the birds who do sing every day of the year
The black and white Australian magpies of the distinctive song
Once seen and once heard one can never again get them wrong
Out of the sun and the warm breeze
The cattle and sheep stand in the shade of the trees
And above the dry brown paddocks in the sunlit sky
The dark swallows chasing flying insects chirping as they fly
In Yarpturk on a warm day in mid January
In a weather temperature high of thirty three.

Of Nature

Of Nature we learn something new every day
Her lessons are many in truth one can say
Even those learned on her ways will tell you little of her they do know
Such knowledge on bushes and trees does not grow
Our lessons in Nature to wonder gives rise
And the more one learn of her the more one realize
That of her we know little this is a humbling thing
Knowledge to us humility with it can bring
In her there is so much for to learn about
When happy she whispers when angry she shout
In wind driven fire when she comes to town
She leaves death and destruction and buildings in rubble of black and brown
Of her there is so much to learn of and know
And our wonderment of her only seems to grow.

The Now Is Today

Though the roadways of life i have been up and down
My travels they did not lead me to renown
And it has been many yeaars since my hair was dark brown
Since i lived in the countryside by Millstreet Town

Though fond memories of them today i retain
Perhaps i won't walk in the old fields again
Or hear the babble of the silver tongued rill
Flowing down from the high country by Clara's Hill

Or in Claraghatlea on an evening in Spring
On a leafy birch tree hear a chaffinch sing
In life for me thus far no financial gain
And of the what used to be only memories remain

Every morning the warbling song i do hear
Of the bird who does sing every day of the year
The black and white magpie to shrike thrush family his sort belong
Once seen and once heard never more to get wrong

And the past just a memory of what used to be
Of places i knew i may never more see
From here far north and thousands of kilometers away
But the now is what matters and the now is today.

Love Is

For our human survival a gift we do need
A World without love to live in would be a sad World indeed
Those with a healthy love of self in them have love for to share
And of the needs of others are always aware
Love that is genuine is a wonderful thing
And of it's praises do feel happy to sing
No two forms of love exactly the same
So many types of it for one for to name
For those without love in them one must feel sympathy
The narcissistic sort bereft of empathy
The type who does only receive and not give
In the self obsessed mind love cannot live
Love is a wonderful gift to possess
One of the main sources to happiness.

Flawed In Some Way

Even in the humble mind some ego reside
Most of us humans one can say not lacking in pride
Fame and wealth two things that we do desire
Since those who have these many seem to admire
Most of us humans are flawed in some way
Suppose this is what it is to be human one does have to say
Though despite their flaws many generous and kind
You look for the good and the good you will find
For this thing known as success many do compete
In life for us always some challenge to meet
The poor of the town their friends are in the few
This is not saying anything that is new
It is human to be flawed one does have to suppose
And the one without friends is the one without foes.

A Happy Couple

Pushing his wife's wheelchair him i often does see
With a smile on his face he always seems carefree
In their early eighties so many years wed
That true love lasts a life time no truer words ever said

He is one of those men who is faithful for life
And until death will remain true to his wheelchair bound wife
Ageing great grandparents time has left them grey
I do see them often though not every day

On the park pathway he pushes her along
They are always conversing their bond of love strong
True to his marriage vows one who does stay
In good example one who leads the way

Credit to his sort of person is due
To his higher self one who does remain true
Despite her loss of mobility with his wife he does stay
Not many men like him in truth one can say

His wheelchair bound wife with a smile on her face
One who accepts her lot in life with grace
And he one of those who always seems carefree
Is surely a far better person than me.

So You Leave It To Others

Since you have your challenges in life for to meet
Just leave it to others for success to compete
So many their talents do love to display
In the Human World that we live in today
In an age when self promotion with many does seem an in thing
So many their own praises do love to sing
And though to be a winner the majority does choose
For some to be winners many have to lose
Like backyard roosters some happy to crow
And their talents to the World they do love to show
The humble one nowadays few do celebrate
In an age when humility does seem out of date
You feel no desire to be best on your street
So you leave it to others for success to compete.

A Very Sad Thing For To Say

People of malnutrition are dying in the World today
And this seems a very sad thing for to say
The majority of the wealth of the World is owned by the privileged few
Suppose what is known is not anything that is new
In a fair Human World there never would be
Hunger, want, homelessness and poverty
Or war that creates many a refugee
Millions of people due to birth circumstance
Of living a prosperous life stand little chance
So many people without a god on their side
Between the wealthy and poor the gap grows ever wide
In draughty disused buildings or under the starlight
Millions of homeless people sleeping rough tonight
Why this should be beyond me to explain
That somebody's loss becomes another's gain.

Of The Person You Are

Millions of impressionable people Worldwide do know you by name
And in your many fan clubs celebrate you for your wealth and fame
Though on the ladder of material success you have climbed quite far
This does not tell us of the person that you truly are

To the higher self do you try to live true
By paying to all others the respect they are due
With those doing it tough in life some of your millions do you share
The generous and compassionate among your sort are known to be rare

Or are you one of the many known to be successful who
Believe everything in life should be about you
With the media love to share your opinions and views
You are one of those who loves to be in the news

Not every celebrity is self centered but having this said in most
Of the wealthy and famous narcissism finds a host
Self promotion seems an in thing in the Human World of today
An honourable human being does not live life in this way

Your wealth and your fame as well as your fans in numbers has grown
And in Countries Worldwide your name it is known
But if of your own needs you are only aware
Then with others you do not have anything for to share.

Do Not Judge Her Or Him

Do not judge her or him by the colour of their skin
Since they too have their struggles in life for to win
Us humans all come of a similar seed
And red is the blood we do shed when we bleed

I have lived and worked in many a town
And mixed with all races of black, white and brown
And the truth of the matter one does have to face
That there are good and bad people in every race

Racism is a curse on humanity
Sadly some do judge others by skin colour and nationality
The minds of all good people are open to light
It is wrong for to judge anybody on sight

Since of hatred and division they only sow the seed
Of racists humanity is not in need
To your higher self you can never be true
If you cannot pay everyone the respect they are due

A fair go for some is not a fair go for all
And racists in their thinking are so very small
And it does seem a rather sad thing for to say
That they are not an endangered species in the Human World of today.

A Truism Of Life

A truism of life as most do realize
The cream to the top never does fail to rise
Those among the best at what they do to be so good enough
The climb to the top it can be rather tough
Success comes to most with the will to succeed
To be good at what you do passion for it you do need
But at anything only one can be best
And many found to be wanting when put to the test
There are winners and losers in every town
And as is said of the good  one she or he cannot be kept down
The desire to succeed it does come from within
Yet so many must lose for the few for to win
It can be a sad Human World to live in after all
When for one for to rise others do have to fall.

A Newmarket Migrant

He will never more drink Guinness in the pubs in Duhallow's Newmarket Town
Where he used to live when his hair was light brown
Or play Gaelic Football on Summer evenings in the park 'til sundown
He had dreams back trhen of future sporting renown

The yearn for the wander was in his young mind
He was born to be one of the adventurous kind
His journey in life did take him far south
Of the fields of the badger and waterways of the brown trout

From Newmarket in Duhallow ageing far away
The hair on his balding head is silver grey
In June he will turn eighty on his next Birthday
That time does not wait on anyone seems true to say

A man who has led an adventurous life
He never had children or does not have a partner or wife
In a one bedroom flat he lives on his own
By most in the Newmarket of today he would not be known

He still has a liking for the pub atmosphere
On Saturday in the local he enjoys a beer
Newmarket to him now a memory of his past
Far south of Duhallow he will breathe his last.

Does The Soul Outlive Us

Does the soul outlive us post bodily death
Or with us does it die when we draw life's last breath
People of different religions with different gods on this cannot agree
On this it is each to their own is how it seems to be

None of the souls of any of the deceased people in life i knew well
Have returned to me for to tell
Of a life after bodily death so how can i say
If they died with their host bodies or are living today

To any god i never kneel for to pray
For this call me an agnostic or an atheist or call me what you may
Messages from any deceased person i never receive
So on what i do not know of how can i believe

I am one who fears death as so many do
But like everyone else i was born to die too
And since i am one who can only believe what i see
Of a life for the soul after bodily death ask one other than me.

Looks Can Deceive

With eight year old twin daughters and a pretty and devoted wife
One can say he has been quite lucky in life
In his early thirties in a good job with good take home pay
He ought to feel content of him one can say
Yet the sadness of the World is in his sad face
And in his mind for laughter there is not any space
His sort their friends in numbers never grow
He is one of those lacking of the inner glow
To him too much of an effort for to smile
Honest in his body laguage he seems free of guile
The life of a party he never will be
But of him it can be said he is what you see
That we all cannot be outgoing one has to believe
He does not look happy but looks can deceive.

One Different To Most Others

Since of his own shortcomings he is all too aware
What others think of him he does not seem to care
He feels no desire for wealth and for fame
And praise and criticism he treats as the same
Just one of those people who does his own thing
His own praises you will never hear him sing
Not into self promotion in any sort of a way
His sort does seem rare in the World of today
Though he is known for his talent in art
Of any social grouping he is not a part
In his mid twenties in his physical prime
He does have a lover but only part time
One different to most others of him one can say
In that he does his own thing and lives in his own way.

For Human Greed And Stupidity

Though the Climate Change deniers have tried to prove them wrong
The environmental scientists have been right all along
In January in Australia a warm time of the year
Many parts of the Country are burning such sad news to hear

The sun is glowing warm in a blue and grey sky
And the moisture sucking winds have left the ground hard and dry
Not only in Australia but Worldwide the weather acting strange
It seems human greed for Mother Earth's resources has hurried on Climate Change

In a vast Country laid bare by months of thirsty drought
More environmentally damaging jobs is all the major political parties can talk about
More factory chimneys pumping black smoke to the sky
That we cannot learn from our mistakes one must wonder why

Through forests and dry grassland the fires burn on
And so many dreams into blackness, ash and rubble have gone
And the fire survivors left to mourn their loss
Once more Nature does tell us that she is our boss

Where the fires have been the blackened landscape a sorry sight
It seems like the enviromental scientists have again got it right
For human greed and stupidity some price to pay
The bushfires are burning in Australia today.

On The Passing Of Mary Cashman

Sad news out of Millstreet Town for to read of today
Mary Cashman of Tullig House from life has passed away
A great role model to her children and grandchildren and to the late Denis Cashman a devoted wife
She was one who depicted the better side to human life

One of the Goggins of Maulnahorna Carriganima for their goodness well known
Mary was one with a gentle charm of her own
With a beautiful smile on her beautiful face
The World for her in it a much better place

It is people like her who sow Karma's good seed
And of far more of her sort the Human World is in need
Though never to be seen in the flesh again
In those who knew and knew of her good memories of her will remain

Sadly the fact of the matter and fact never lie
Is us humans like all other life forms are born to die
But good people like Mary Cashman was in their lifetime have love in them to share
And of the needs of others are always aware

By Cashman's Hill in St Mary's in Millstreet her last remains lay
She lived as a good person in truth of her one can say
Hope her passing from life for her was a painless release
In death it can be said there is silence and peace.

One Of The Sad Souls

Since at times he is one who does feel quite depressed
He is not one of happiness who has been blessed
One of the sad souls of his side of the town
He knows how it feels like to be mentally down
In his mid fifties without children a partner or wife
He does feel so lonely and alone in his life
In a one bedroom rental apartment he lives on his own
Few happy days in life of he has known
Balding and grey haired his best years are in the long gone
And time on his life ever keeps ticking on
Mentally and physically he is one who is far from feeling great
Due to doctor prescribed medication he has been putting on the kilos of late
A gentle sort of a fellow and quiet in his way
Life to him is not kind which is sad for to say.

A January Day In The South West

Under house eaves the sparrows all the day
Feathering their nest in a straggly ball of hay
Near Summer's prime in early January
In Nature beauty every day for to see
The sun on their dark wings in the blue sky
On pursuit of flying insects the swallows fly
Fast as a motor car when in full flight
In Nature many an amazing sight
On a warm evening of twenty five degrees
The cattle in the cool shade of the trees
Chewing their cuds out of the sunshine lay
In weatherwise a near to perfect day
Those who live here are of the truly blessed
No bush fires near to the sunny south west.

Though Their Praises

Though their praises the impressionable masses never does sing
They bring change to the World those who do their own thing
Since they are not tribal in any sort of a way
In a Human World where tribalism is rampant today
They do not make friends or they do not make foes
Which balances itself out one has to suppose
The unaligned fringe dwellers of every town
As they live they will die as strangers to renown
Not members of any social or sporting club
They drink in their own in the local pub
On the material success ladder they never climb far
Yet their sort of people never start a war
Call them fringe dwellers or loners or call them what you may
In a more peaceful World to live in their own part they do play.

Nature Is On The Attack

In Australia Nature is on the attack
In parts hundreds of kilometers of countryside by her burned black
Wildlife and domestic creatures in their thousands have died
In fierce flames that have ranged far and wide
For those in the path of Nature's anger nowhere to hide
Human lives lost and homes and buildings destroyed
Though of fighting fires feeling quite tired
Firefighters for their bravery ought to be admired
In the flames by by so many people so much has been lost
Nature's anger comes at a huge cost
The warnings of environmental scientists the government choose to ignore
But in fire shattered human dreams no points for them to score
In Australia Mother Earth is suffering today
Nature's destructive power is on display.

At The Stroke Of Midnight

At the stroke of midnight the past will be today
And time on our lives ever ticking away
People are born to life to eventually die
Immortality for the soul may be based on a lie
The longest lived human life in time not a long span
On average a few years more for a woman than it is for a man
The praises of the one who claims the lives of the old and the young
Life's Reaper by anyone is never sung
The babies born yesterday today are growing old
And sadly many do die with their lives stories untold
But far greater than any other form of success
Life is the greatest gift anyone does possess
Why wish upon yourself an unnatural death
Just leave it to Life's Reaper to claim your last living breath.

Never Too Small

For to make the Human World better to live in
With your own self you have got to begin
Any self improvement is never too small
In this respect what applies to one does apply to us all
Remember the World is not all about you
Good people for others good things always do
Narcissism is love of self that has gone wrong
To a self centered love it does only belong
Those with a healthy form of self love have love with others to share
And good to think their type in the World are not rare
For their future good Karma they plant the good seed
By helping anyone of their helping in need
Just leave it to others your praises to sing
Self reflection for self betterment is quite a good thing.

On My Way Of Thinking

On my way of thinking i seem ordinary
What i dislike in others is what i dislike in me
I make my own friends and create my own foes
This is what it is to be human one has to suppose

I am not one of the admired blokes of the town
Though i never does yearn for wealth and renown
These things in life never do come my way
Like many survival a challenge for me every day

Yet i feel for the people who are doing it tough
Who were born into life to live hungry and rough
The children of the children of the lesser gods
Just for to survive they must battle the odds

Quite noble in their thoughts those who believe in human equality
Far too few of their sort is how it seems to be
Though death in some ways a blessing on humanity
Of class distinction it sets all people free

The majority of the material wealth of the World is owned by the few
And this is not saying anything that is new
The generous wealthy to say the least rare
In a Human World where many grow poorer for every new millionaire

I am not one every day a new friend who does gain
Yet of hard times i am one who cannot complain
Since many are doing it far tougher than i
If i did tell you different this would be a lie.

Not Everyone

Though you may be a good person in every way
Not everyone of you will have nice things to say
The words of a wise person i do recall
You may well win many but you won't win them all
One of the nice people on your side of the town
But always a few in words to drag you down
Those who look for flaws in others flaws in you will see
Big Brother's disciples are not in minority
It is human to be judgmental one has to suppose
The one with few friends is also one with few foes
Big Brother's disciples plentiful Worldwide
On life's failures and successes they do decide
The wealthy celebrities the masses celebrate
But we all were not born to be famous and great.

On A Blackbird Singing

In January in Europe a cold and wet time of year
The songs of the blackbirds you never will hear
But in Illowa in the Moyne Shire i hear them today
As the warm sun glows in a sky blue and grey
To Nature's finest songsters their sort does belong
Blackbirds have a distinctive and beautiful song
Introduced to Australia more than a century ago
Renowned avian songbirds they happen to be so
Among Nature's finest songsters of Summer and Spring
In Autumn and Winter one does not hear them sing
On a day that is warm a humid twenty nine
How nice to listen to in the mid day sunshine
The song of a golden billed blackbird melodious and clear
In the warmth of the Summer so pleasant to hear.

Time On His Life

He often thinks of the good times of his past
When he was younger and his legs did move fast
Long before time it did become his foe
But going back the Seasons this seems long ago

Near his prime years in the far away town
With his young mates he played football until after sundown
In warm Summer evenings in the town park
They played until the fading light just before dark

The boys and girls he grew up with he thinks of today
Some of them in the old town choose to stay
And some of them where the deceased are does lay
And some like him are ageing from their first homes far away

His hair that was light brown back in his prime day
On his balding head is now silver grey
And though he has good memories of the distant past
Time on his life ever keeps ticking fast.

Time Ticking On

Human beings come to life and life from them does go
And eventually time becomes everyone's foe
And though it may seem an old cliche it is not a lie
The longer you live the sooner you will die
On saying that time of the best of them it does take care
Is not telling you something of you are not aware
The fittest and strongest in their physical prime
Eventually too will become victims of time
Though no deceased person will hear for them the funeral bell
For all of us from life a final farewell
Time on our lives ever ticking away
For some people this will be their final day
The future ahead and the past it has gone
And we live in the now and time ticking on.

On Laughter

To happiness it always lives near
The sound of laughter a joy for to hear
Lucky are they who do laugh easily
Of any big worries they seem to be free
To the sagging spirits always a great lift
Laughter it is such a wonderfulf gift
Laugh and the whole World with you laughs along
Whoever said this did not have it wrong
Laughter indeed is a wonderful thing
Joy with it as is said it never fails to bring
The sad faced people who often feel down
Does never bring joy to their side of the town
Those known for their laughter gain new friends every day
From where they are happiness is never far away.

You Ask Me About Life

You ask me about life i love it a lot
Of all of the gifts we are born with it is the best we have got
I would rather live as poor than be one of the wealthy dead
At least i could live in hope of better times ahead
Better than any other form of success
Life is the greatest gift we do possess
Some waste their time on an end of life plan
Just live for as long as you possibly can
Of the praises of life i feel happy to sing
Than it there is not any greater thing
You may be financially down and struggling to cope
But where there is life as is said there is hope
Better than any other form of success
Life is the greatest gift we do possess.

A Duhallow Migrant

Far south of Duhallow and Derrinagree
The hills of the Boggeraghs he may never more see
From the flat rushy fields of  where the Blackwater flow
Home of the rook and the silver back crow
Without any children or a partner or wife
One who has seen a lot in his eight decades of life
Perhaps his last remains will forever lay
Far south of where he first looked on the bright lamp of day
The hair on his balding head is silver grey
That time becomes the master only true to say
He arrived in Australia as a twenty year old man
Six decades ago of time quite a span
The accent he was born to with him does remain
The one thing of Ireland that he does retain.

If You Feel That

If you feel that the admiration of others is only your due
To your higher self you are not being true
Just goes to show how vain a person you are
Narcissism is an extreme form of self love that is taken too far
Those with a true form of self love with others do share
And of the needs of others are always aware
They help anybody of their help in need
And on so doing they do sow Karma's good seed
They are not the people  the masses admire
Since in life of such this is not their desire
But true to their higher selves they do remain
And leave it to others to compete for Worldly gain
By good example they only do live
They believe that to receive one has to give.

On The Attack

In Australia Nature is on the attack
Some parts of the big Country has been burned black
Homes and buildings burned to ashes by fire gutted and destroyed
Domestic animals and wildlife and people have died
Bush towns have been gutted and thousands of kilometers of countryside
Blackened by the flames that have buirned their way far and wide
January 2020 a fiery start to the new year
When Nature is angry she is a force for to fear
That fire survivors are mentally hurting is obviously clear
Fire damaged areas will not recover for years
The legacy of the anger of Nature is heartbreak and tears
In Australia the year 2020 has not begun well
At least not for the survivors of an Earthly fiery hell.

The Urge To Write

The urge to write rhymes in me remains ever strong
Wherever i go to my pen and notebook with me goes along
Call me a scribbler of doggerel or call me what you may
I am one of those blokes who write rhymes every day
Just one ageing migrant from near far away Millstreet Town
Suppose i will die as i live a stranger to renown
I began penning rhyme in my physical prime
And this is going back some four decades in time
I have never laid claim to the title of poet
Nor am i one worthy of literary note
I am just a rhymer my sort are not few
And this is not saying anything that is new
With rhyming words one who just loves for to play
I add to my numbers of rhymes every day.

To Live An Honourable Life

To live an honourable life you can only do the best you can do
But it is hard to respect those who do not respect you
Respect as is known must be more than one way
And this only does seem a true thing to say
We all need to be respected why otherwise pretend
The one who deliberately insults you cannot be your friend
Those who disrespect you in return your respect not due
This only does happen for to be true
Since you are known to some on your side of the town
How can you respect those who in their untrue words drag you down
The damage done to an individual by damaging untrue words is grossly unfair
And such assassination of character almost impossible to repair
The untruthful words meant for to harm you seem hard to forgive
There is so much truth in the saying of live and let live.

Only Memories Of What Was

Only memories of what was in me now remain
Perhaps i will never see Duhallow again
Or in March hear the frogs croak in a flooded drain
The sights and sound of the past are all i have to retain

The great gift of memory is a wonderful thing
In fancy i walk in the old fields on an evening in Spring
As the nesting birds sing on the bushes and trees
Their music is carrying in the freshening breeze

When the hawthorns are cloaked in their white blossoms of May
Such a beautiful memory a lifetime to stay
And the fields lush and green after the recent showers
Are looking resplendent in their Nature's flowers

I only have memories of the beauty i have seen
In the old fields i loved that were always so green
In reality to me today they would look much as they were the same
Some of them i knew by their given name

Like me from their homeplace ageing far away
Some of the people i knew in Duhallow did not stay
And some where the deceased are forever do lay
Time takes care of all as the wise one does say

I left old Duhallow when the chill winds did blow
And the Boggeraghs were in their December hats of snow
But going back the years this now seems long ago
And time that ages most things has become my foe.

The Three Wise Men

The three wise men not many of their sort today
They were very wise legend tells us and by good example they led the way
Their names were not Donald J or Boris or the conservative known as Scott
These are not tthe wisest of leaders of wisdom between them not a lot
In the twenty first century of wise leaders humanity of  is  in need
Of wisdom among powerful leaders there is a great shortage indeed
The destructive fires of Global Warming the so called great leaders do choose to ignore
They promote jobs that are environmentally damaging we live in an age when ignorance is to the fore
By our needless creating of  carbon emissions we are hurrying on Climate Change
Those who tell this to our so called wise leaders are looked upon as rather strange
Electing them as leaders is like having the fox guard the hen house suppose for our mistakes in our life we must pay
In more natural disasters Worldwide and this seems a sad thing to say
We need leaders like the three wise men of legend and story and rhyme
We live in the age of populism in human history a dangerous time.

No Weight On The Mind

It is true that knowledge is no weight on the mind
For those people who to learning are inclined
But having this said ignorance too can be bliss
One need not think too hard for the meaning in this
Yet of some highly educated people one does come to realize
On their attitude to things natural they are not very wise
Jobs that create massive amounts of carbon emissions they see as okay
They are not friends of our Earth Mother of them one can say
But then acquired knowledge and wisdom different in every way
And to the words of the wise respect few seem to pay
Those who promote major industry to Mother Earth cannot be a friend
A mere fact of life why otherwise pretend
And sad to say many of the well educated knowledgeable by name kind
On the side of the promoters of major industry you will find.

Any Improvement Of Self

Any improvement of  self betterment as a person is never too small
Since there is room for self improvement in most of us if not all
How come most of us others only wish to impress
There is more to living of life than material success
Empathy does have it's source in the mind
Most of us can live as more compassionate and kind
If you believe that the admiration of others in life is your due
Then to your higher self you can never be true
Of your own needs by all means take good care
But of the needs of others also be aware
A genuine love of self does not have it's source in greed
Always be willing to help anyone of your helping in need
What i see in others in my own self i see
Since there is room for self improvement in me.

What Tomorrow Will Bring

Your future even to you is an unpredictable thing
Who knows what tomorrow to you will bring
For you it may be similar as today
Or happier or sadder even you cannot say

Many living today tomorrow will be dead
We can only live in the now the future is ahead
And memories are all we do have of the past
And the clock on our lives ever keeps ticking fast

Lucky are those who on do believe
That to live a good life you must give to receive
Everyday they do plant Karma's good seed
When they help anyone of their help in need

Since of the needs of others they do seem aware
They are good people those willing to share
Plaudits for their acts of kindness they feel no wish to win
For many they make the World better to live in

On how you do live the choice is your own
But your future even to you remains as unknown
You can only live in the now and the now is today
And what tomorrow will bring who is to say.

Life Has New Lessons

Life has new lessons for us every day
We learn as we live as the wise one does say
Those who think they know everything are quite lucky indeed
Since of any more knowledge they do not seem in need
One can say of them their egos far from small
Since they think they know everything they have nothing to learn at all
Yet the more we do learn the more we come to realize
That we do know so little this not a surprise
Of so little we do know so humbling to be aware
With the book of life no book for to compare
From day to day living experience we gain
That we learn as we live as a truism remain
A fact of our existence and fact never lie
Is that we will never stop learning until the day we will die.

True Writers

A writer is one with words who loves to play
And is one who does live to write every day
The writer may be a she or may be a he
Writing does not belong to one gender as most would agree
Few writers do ever become a great name
Far easier ways than writing to wealth and to fame
But true writers never write for money or literary renown
And no shortage of writers in any town
Without the lesser known writers there would not be the succerssful few
This is not saying anything that is in any way that is new
True writers do not write in hope of literary success
And with their writing anyone never wish to impress
And though others their praises never may sing
They just love to write in life it is their thing.

Far More Losers Than Winners

Many people for their dinner meal must make do with a cooked rat
Whilst the wealthy on good times and good food grow fat
It is a winners World only true for to say
For the losers you will never hear a hooray
Though losing is something anyone does not choose
For every big winner many do have to lose
Far more losers than winners in the World every day
Suppose human life is designed for to work in this way
In a Human World where billions of people for success compete
There are more losers than winners on every street
Of winners and losers the Human World will never be free
This is how it was and it is and how it will always be
Far more losers than winners the fact does remain
And the meaning in this it's own self does explain.

At The Buninyong Botanical Gardens

For Nature's flora a beautiful place
Trees that to many Countries their heritage one can trace
The day it is warm close to forty degrees
Though a refreshing coolness in the shade of the trees
The Buninyong Botanical Gardens though not widely known
One can say is blessed with a charm of it's own
Where trees of many Countries stand tall side by side
To the people of Buninyong it's Botanical Gardens is a sense of pride
So cool in the shade of the trees on this very warm day
Earthly Utopia from here cannot be far away
Mental images of this place today i retain
I have been here many years ago and would like to visit again
On this warm December evening close to the New Year
To the Buninyong Botanical Gardens Earthly Utopia is near.

Sammy Magee

Clearly not the man that he once used to be
Time it has wearied old Sammy Magee
Not the man he was only true to say
He is one who has known of a far better day

One of the Country's top shearers in his physical prime
Though this is going back many Seasons in time
He earned his money in the hardest way
And he often shore two hundred sheep in a day

In country town pubs he was one quite well known
Respect for his money by him never shown
For his pub generosity he won many a friend
Most of his hard earned money he freely did spend

Back when he was one of the shearing greats
Buying drinks for his female lovers and his country town mates
But going back the Seasons this seems long ago
Time that ages most things has become his foe

He had many female lovers in his better years in life
But he cannot say if he has children and he never had a lawful wife
Growing old in care his balding head is silver grey
And time on his life keeps on tcking away

Few things in life ever do seem to last
All he has left are memories of the past
In distance many kilometers from the nearest shearing shed
Old Sammy dozes on a nursing home bed.

The Earth We Live On

People will never holiday in Mars
Or go to live in a Planet somewhere beyond the stars
This is the only Planet of we do know
That is liveable and that crops on we can grow
The Earth we live on is our greatest friend
On our very survival on her we depend
From a tiny dark seed she creates a beautiful flower
She is the World's number one super power
Scientists are talking of life elsewhere
In the vast Universe somewhere up there
Their dreams like all others in life they pursue
Though they too must realize what they say may not be true
The World's only liveable Planet we know of we live on today
So the respect she is due to her we ought to pay.

You Can Tell Yourself

You can tell yourself when life on you is tough
When others dismiss you as not good enough
You do have it in you for to prove them wrong
That in the life quitters you do not belong
Do not leave it to the judgmental of the town
To in their words for to drag you down
On the ladder to success your climb may be far
But you have to feel proud of the person you are
As one of the chilldren of the lesser gods
Who was born into life for to battle the odds
You help those in need of your help every day
And you do work quite hard for not good take home pay
But as a sensitive person you pay too much heed
To those who tell you that you were born into life as one of those not to succeed.

Consider Yourself

Consider yourself one of the lucky you have never had for to sleep rough
You do not know how it feels like to feel hungry so many who are doing it tough
You and i have no need to complain though we are not of the privileged few
To live for years hungry and homeless is something of we never knew
Yes we are far luckier than most are we have never been hungry for a day
Not everyone can say the same thing so many live in the hard way
The children of abusive parents homeless and as young teenagers street wise
So few of them live to grow old above poverty they cannot rise
Success to them is survival they only live from day to day
Many of them deceased in their twenties in forgotten paupers graves lay
You and i should not be complaining of the hardships in life we endure
There are so many worse off than we are compared to them we are financially secure
So many people in disused old factories are sleeping cold and hungry tonight
Survival to them it is success life for them is an uphill fight.

So Much Emphasis

So much emphasis on sports and mostly on football
If this is what life is about not much to life at all
The things that to many seem important can be lived without
And the things that matter most to us few wish to talk about

Due to carbon emissions that give rise to Global Warming the climate is changing right before our eyes
In a World of so called well educated people where are the wise
The majority of the people we elect to parliament for to govern for us the Earth our food source seeks to destroy
We are not going to bequeath a healthy natural environment for future generations to live in and enjoy

Human pollution of  waterways and oceans and pollution of land and of air
To Mother Earth who supports and feeds us we are not in any way fair
But what we do to our Earth Mother to our own selves we have chosen to do
This does apply to everybody as well as to me and to you

Human created carbon emissions does give rise to Global Warming and does hurry on Climate Change
Nature Worldwide is quite angry and of late has been acting quite strange
But it is the future generations of people for our mistakes who will have to pay
And they will not be singing our praises and of us have nice things to say.

Forget About Dying

Forget about dying  and your end of life plan
Just live for as long as you possibly can
Live for you like all other deceased people will be forever dead
Of you there may yet be some good times ahead
You are only a decade past your physical prime
Just on the half span of the average human lifetime
Financially secure is how you seem to be
But as happiness goes you are in poverty
The sun it is shining in a sky blue and grey
Sad to see you looking so miserable on this beautiful day
Hope that the moods of darkness with you will not stay
Since you are a good person in your own kind way
So why do you talk of death when you will be forever dead
And happier times of you may well be ahead.

So Many Writers

So many writers Worldwide in the wordsmith trade
But only a minority of them make the literary grade
And though the wordsmith trade  of more writers in need
Like in all things in literature so many must fail for a few to succeed
It is mostly the literary critics Worldwide
Who deserve to be a literary success has the right to decide
Those they deem as unworthy of criticism remain as strangers to literary renown
The reason there are many amateur writers in every town
Few out of writing can expect to become a millionaire
And World renowned writers are so very rare
And though success is what every writer does choose
In writing as in all things for one to win many have to lose
There are more losers than winners in the World every day
One has to suppose that life works in this way.

In Climate Change

In Climate Change more species of wildlife becoming endangered every day
And humanity in this a large part does play
Destruction of habitat for wildlife due to human greed
For further extinction is planting the seed
For the children of the future less wildlife to see
Since the future looks bleak for the wild and the free
Pollution of land, air, sea and waterway
Is the price for human progress that is for to pay
Many species of fish, insects animals, birds and animals and amphibians are becoming rare
The Earth is for us to live on and with other creatures to share
Of our human achievements we ought not to boast loud
Since in our natural environment record nothing of to feel proud
Every day for building development more trees are cut down
And less land for wildlife in and near every town.

January 1 2020

The countryside as brown as a lime burner's hat
On the stringy sun dried grass a roo could not grow fat
As the prime of the Summer draws ever near
It has been a very warm start to the year

It does seem that Nature is on the attack
Some parts of Australia from fires burned black
Many animals and birds burned to ashes and many homes have been destroyed
And in some States people in the flames have died

Of their lifetime possessions burned in a fiery hell
So many people with sad stories to tell
But for death and destruction Nature pointless to blame
As she is one without feelings of guilt or of shame

The first day of January 2020 by the country town
The sun dried paddocks looking dry and brown
The dams low in water bone dry every  drain
And the parched looking country is thirsting for rain

More sad news of fires and destruction today
For our disrespect to our Earth Mother is this our price to pay
Such sad stories of death and destruction we read of and of hear
That Nature is angry is obviously clear.