Jim

 Homesickness is a thing that all migrants of do know

But in time a thing that most of outgrow

Time is the healer as the wise one does say

A truism of the past that remains relevant today

Jim an ageing migrant often talks of the past

He says for awhile homesickness in him did last

But he no longer feels nostalgia for his first hometown

And the days long ago when his hair was light brown

He says today to most people i would seem a migrant there

Just an ageing stranger who arrived from elsewhere

It is obvious nostalgia it has died in Jim

There are so many migrants in the World like him

Who have left their first hometown in their physical prime

And have lost their nostalgia in the decades of time.

Tell A Non Religious Poor Person

 Tell a non religious poor person that everyone is equal in god's sight

And she or he may answer that this is not right 

And what are you really on about

Just like trying to convince one that north is south

God seems quite far from the one who is sleeping rough

Who is homeless and hungry and in life doing it tough

God is for the wealthy or so it does seem

Not for those of the poor suburb suffering of low self esteem

God is for the wealthy of every city and town

And not for the mentally and financially down

People who do not have god on their side

By luck in living most of them denied

Tell a non religious poor person god of her or him will take care

But your enthusiasm for god's love and kindness they may not share

When they are most in need of helping god from them is far away 

One reason for help god to they do not pray.

If I Did Tell You Differently

 I penned my first rhymes in nineteen seventy three

Since then time has made an old fellow of me

I used to daydream then i would be a poet 

A person well worthy of literary note

But daydreams are just that and seldom come true

And foirtune and fame as a writer in life not my due

I have lived many years since my physical prime

As one of the millions addicted to penning of rhyme

The reason i add to my numbers of rhymes every day

Is that it is something i love doing in truth i can say

With rhyming words i am one who loves to play

An addiction that with me is sure for to stay

For as long as i live until the day i do die

If i did tell you differently it would be a lie.

It Is Mostly About Winning

 No prizes for losers as the wise one does say

It is mostly about winning in the World of today

And though losing is a thing anyone does not choose

For one to win big many do have to lose

Everyone wants to be a winner is how it seems to be

As the winners do create their own history

But the good loser may eventually have a big win

As the will to succeed only comes from within

The winner the one who becomes a great name

Takes most of the glory and most of the fame

To say that losers are many and winners are few

Is not saying any thing in any way that is new

Everyone does compete for the top prize

And above all others the winners do rise.

We All Need A Dream

 Though for many their dreams do never come true

Everyone needs a dream of success to pursue

Especially those people in life who are struggling to cope

In them their dreams for times better sow the seeds of hope

You may feel that hope of better from you has all but gone

But your dream fuels in you the desire to go on

Though it seems better times of you are not ahead

As long as you have a dream hope in you is not dead

Everyone needs a dream in life just to survive

In the poorest of people their dreams are alive

So many poor people in Countries Worldwide

Without a dream who do not have hope on their side

We all need a dream of success to pursue

And this is only saying what happens to be true.

In This Coastal Countryside

 In this coastal countryside near the City of  Warrnambool

None care if i was a dunce of the primary school

In a town in view of hills from here far away 

Where i would be a stranger to many today

Here mine to many is not a known face

Yet i feel at home in this beautiful place

That is home to echidna, koala, emu and grey kangaroo

And white long billed corella and yellow tailed black cockatoo

In this beautiful part of the coastal Moyne Shire

What more for in life could anyone desire

Where the flute like warbling song i often do hear

Of the magpie who sings every day of the year

Home is where the heart is as the wise one did say 

And home to me is where i am living today

Far south of the place i lived in long ago

Long before time that ages did become my foe.

November In Millstreet

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

The wind from the Boggeraghs with a cold chill do blow

Old River Finnow in flood waters of brown

Flowing bank high in the rushy fields near Millstreet Town

The gales of November howl in the naked trees

And the weather is cold close to zero degrees

November in Millstreet with Christmas quite near

Is a wet and windy and cold time of year

The cattle in the farm shed for their Winter stay

In the grey of the dawn bellowing for silage or hay

At least five months to near the prime of Spring

When the nesting birds will whistle and sing

On a morning in November near the Town of Millstreet

In the old rushy fields where the waterways meet.

Though You Like To Boast

 Though you like to boast of the great things you do

The World it does not revolve around you

On your side of the town you drive the biggest car

And you like to brag  to others of how marvellous you are

Of your life achievements you have written a book

That many of your friends say is worth more than a look

Or more than a leaf through the pages it is worth a read

To your fans you are one who is born to lead

In the eyes of your admirers people of money only count

And of it you are one who has a large amount

To your big parties only wealthy people invited to attend

You are one who does not have any poor friend

Your own praises you are one who loves to sing

But promotion of self nowadays with many is an in thing

Though you are of no use to the poor of the town

In life doing it tough and financially down.

The Conquerors Write The History

 For the deaths of millions of indigenous people Worldwide colonizers are to blame

And man's inhumanity to man is human history's great shame

The conquerors write the history as has been often told

And today the conquered are the oppressed the same as in the days of old

The crimes of the invaders is for them not a sense of pride

Millions of people have died defending their lands in Countries Worldwide

Treated as second class citizens in their native lands the indigenous dispossessed

The conquerors write the history and the displaced become the oppressed

The conquerors write the history since god seems on their side

The unmarked graves of the World their sins and crimes do hide

The descendants of the conquerors for their lands have a paper deed

Of their lawful proof of ownership what more proof do they need

The lands their ancestors murdered for though for this they are not to blame

In every dispossession there are countless crimes of shame.

On The Passing Of John Anthony O' Sullivan

 Old memories of what was can give rise to nostalgic tears

In towns and villages the voice of John Anthony O' Sullivan will live on for years

In Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra where he was loved and widely known

And in Rathduane and Ballydaly they were proud to claim him for their own

All around the Cork Kerry border countryside

John Anthony and the voice that was his became known far and wide

Through his public address system he made for himself many a friend

Sad to hear that the journey in life for him has come to an end

In life he was one who made friends every day

Such a likeable person of him one can say

And in all who did know him good memories will stay

Of a down to earth fellow in his own gentle way

Though the ears of the deceased rendered deaf to the tolling of the funeral bell

For all of us from life a final farewell

And to John Anthony credit is only his due

Since to his higher self he was one who lived true

From life for us all there is a final release

In St Mary's by Cashman's Hill in Millstreet Town his last remains are at peace

And though his gift of life from him may have gone

In his family and his many friends good memories of him will live on.

What Is A True Friend

 What is a true friend ask one wiser than me

For i only know what a true friend should be 

One who would stand by you when you are financially down

And looked on as a loser by many in the town

Though their friends in numbers by the day seem to grow

Of who their true friends are the wealthy do not know

If you are wealthy you do have friends from near and far

But it is when you are broke you know who your friends are

The friends of a poor person are in the few

But that she or he know their friends is not saying what is new

For the friend of a poor person there is no financial gain

But that this is the test of true friendship as a truism remain

Your acquaintances are many and your friends are rare

And what a true friend should be do not ask the millionaire.

Due To Climate Change And Human Greed

 Australia's koalas and wombats and the white Arctic bear

Are species of  wildlife that have become rare

And many species of animals, birds, fish and insects becoming rare Worldwide

Due to Climate Change and human greed their habitat being destroyed

Our environmental mistakes of the past we repeat today

And this seems a sad thing for to have to say

On removal of trees for development there is no slow down

And more factories being built on the industrial side of every city and big town

In the World we live in with other creatures we ought to share

Far too many people who are not environmentally aware

Children of the future may not hear a bird sing

As we may not be that far from the silent Spring

More species of wildlife on the endangered list every day

For our bad environmental practices extinction is the price we must pay

And despite the huge numbers of wildlife species on the endangered list

On the removal of more old growth trees due to their greed for money the developers persist.

It Is Where You Feel Happiest In

 Today you are far from your first homeplace

And where you live now to many your's is not a known face

And though nostalgia is real in case you get me wrong

It is where you feel happiest in you do belong

So many who have returned to their first homeplace to their disappointment have found

That they no longer feel happy on old homeground

It was not for them what they imagined it for to be

Nostalgia can play tricks with the memory

Though from your first homeplace you are far away

If you feel happy in your life today

Then in where you are living perhaps you should stay

Home is where the heart is as the wise one does say

From your first homeplace you may be living far

But if  you are happy in your mind stay where you are.

Pay To Other People

 Pay to other people the respect they are due 

And to your higher self try to remain as true

Laugh with them not at them and respect to them show

Those who feel superior to others lack in the inner glow

To other people any wrong they do not do

And they never do any harm to you

Though to you in ways they are different respect to them give

So much truth in the old saying of live and let live

How boring we would be for want of a better name

If we all had similar beliefs and in ways thought the same

That our different ways makes us interesting as people is how it seems to be

And toleration of those different to us is a gift to have in the twenty first century

Kindness and understanding in others has a good effect

Treat those who are different to you with courtesy and respect

In life as is said we must give to receive

Something in that is not hard to believe.

The Memories With Me

 The memories with me only remain

Of the Boggeragh hills cloaked in the fogs of rain

And the breeding frogs croaking in the flooded drain

Though i may never see old Duhallow again

The years have left me looking balding and grey

And Duhallow a  memory of the far away

Time leaves us older and ticks along fast

And all we retain are memories of the past

The past is a memory and the future ahead

And we live in the now as the wise one has said

It is a great gift the gift of memory

As it does take us back to the what used to be

A beautiful place old Duhallow in Spring

When the fields wear their wildflowers and the nesting birds sing

And mental images are all i have to retain

Of beauty i may never look on again.

In The Dawn Of November

 In the dawn of November in the morning grey

Against the strong current the salmon battle their way 

In yesterday's subsiding flood that is flowing fast and brown

In the river that flows by the far away town

For many of them it will be their last dawn

They will not even get the chance for to spawn

The poachers will hunt them with their powerful battery torches and gaff or spear

For the salmon poachers November their time of year

But some salmon the spawning Season do survive

And make it back home to the ocean alive

Their young in future Novembers will return to their native rivers to breed

To fulfil what will be in them a natural need

In the dawn of November in the fast flowing waters of brown

In the river that flows by the far away town

The call of Nature the salmon obey

As against the strong current up to their spawning fords they battle their way.

For Many The Battle Of Survival

 For many the battle of survival goes from day to day

To support their families in poor take home pay 

Seems hard for to envy the poor fellow's wife

Survival of self and her family her battle in life

The homeless and the refugees who live hungry and sleep rough

So many poor people who are doing it tough

In a World where for one to win big many do have to lose

For to live poor and hungry anyone does not choose

So many on the wrong side of the social divide

Poverty nowadays it is Worldwide

Never anything for to celebrate for the people of the poor side of the town

Life is never easy for the financially down

Not much fun in life for those in poverty

And their sort not rare in the twenty first century.

The Look At Me People

 They cannot help themselves suppose it is their way

The look at me people one does see every day

They like to be noticed not publicity shy

And they are at their happiest in the public eye

Promotion of self with them is their thing

And their own praises they surely do love to sing

They feel they are gems in humanity's crown

And no shortage of their sort in any city or town

Narcissism has become part of human life

In the twenty first century Worldwide it is rife

That the humble have become an endangered species happens to be so

Going back in in time far more of them long ago

The look at me people in numbers do grow

Perhaps this is something of you already know.

Mary Frances Howard

 In Annagloor as Mary Frances Mulcahy she first saw light of day

And in Lyre in Duhallow as Mary Frances Howard her last remains lay

A good mother to her family and to the late Joe Howard a good wife

A kind and hard working person who lived an honourable life

And though this is going back many Seasons in time

She was quite an attractive looking woman when in her life's prime

And though she was one who was advanced in years

She was one who was worthy of farewell tears

One thing of life on we all can depend

That one day for us all it will come to an end

Mary Frances in Lyre is now resting in peace

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

Her life's journey that began for her jn Annagloor in Millstreet in Lyre Banteer did end

To many people Mary Frances she was a good friend.

You Are

 You are the good and the bad in others you see

Though many with such a statement would not agree

What you see in others is what is in you

Whoever first said this some credit is due

The good and the bad you see in others is in you also

And your best friend today may become your future foe

Friends into our lives do come and do go

And that broken trust leads to dislike happens to be so

What we see in others happens to be in us too

Though many will tell you that this is not true

If you are not trustworthy others you will not trust

And those who are just live their lives as just

You are the good and the bad in others you do see

Though many with this of course would not agree.

He Is A Good Person

 Though in political thinking we are far apart

He is a good person one of kind of heart

In thinking he is very different to me

But he is one not lacking in empathy

Though in many ways we think quite differently

If we all thought in the same way how boring we would be

He is one that i do not meet every day

And when we do meet to each other we have litte to say

Only those of similar ideas and interests have things in common to share

This is something that most people of are aware

In thinking we are poles apart politically

And he is not my friend nor is he my enemy

He is a good person in his own way

And respect to him for this i only can pay.

That Time Does Heal Nostalgia

 With a wife and young daughter he feels happy today 

And he won't be going back to the town far away

He no longer feels homesick for the what used to be

Time is the great healer as most would agree

Tall and handsome in his mid twenties of short hair of light brown

The man from the far away northern town

He loves his young daughter and his pretty wife

Contented of mind and happy in his life

A hard working fellow who earns his every pay

He whistles to and from work in his car every day

He helps anyone of his help in need

For his future good Karma he sows the good seed

Far south of his first hometown for the long stay

That time does heal nostalgia is only true to say.

Anger In Her Stare

 Had my car hit and injured her i would not have committed a crime

For i was not driving fast and i braked just in time

She walked on to the street obscured from my view from behind a parked car

From a parking lot by a cafe bar

The coldness in her dark brown eyes left me with a mind chill

And i would be of the deceased now if looks could kill

She did have an angry look in her cold stare

As through the car windscreen at me she did glare

From the look she gave me she believed i was in the wrong

Though in the point of law right to me belong

By the look in her eyes she was not showing any fear

And that she was angry with me was obviously clear

Through the car windscreen at me she did glare

She did have a lot of anger in her stare.

Of Leaders

 Not everybody is born to lead

But it is mosly of leaders we hear of or of read

This is the Human World we live in today

Though many will tell you it was always this way

Most leaders held in high public esteem

But very few good leaders is how it does seem

Since most leaders do lack in the inner glow

This is something that many of do know

So many leaders do abuse their power

They are the weeds that do stifle the flower

To retain their social rank in the town

They show their lack in compassion by keeping others down

Of leaders there are many but of good leaders few

Suppose this is something of you already knew.

On Moses Fifth Commandment

 Moses fifth commandment most people try to obey

At least this is how it does seem anyway

But does Moses fifth commandment to killing and eating by humans of other life forms also apply

Since it does not specifically apply to humans only one must wonder why?

Vegans and vegetarians observe the fifth commandment but their sort of people are rare

This is only saying of what most of would be aware

But does 'thou shalt not kill' apply to people for killing of people only who is to say

Or does it apply to the killing of all life forms by people it very well may

I too am a meat and fish eater in that i eat the creatures others do kill

Of creatures that never have harmed me i do eat my fill

Perhaps i break Moses fifth commandment every day

Of this i do wonder in truth i can say

And i too like most other mortals is one not free of taint

But then in the World is there one living saint?

Narcissism

 Narcissism is not too much love of self it is self love gone wrong

And to any form of love it does not belong 

A narcissist does not love self but with the self  is obsessed

From the narcissistic mind love has been dispossessed

Those with a healthy form of self love have love for to spare 

And their surplus of love with others do share

In the narcissist mind compassion and love is as dead as a stone

She or he lives for self and only for self alone

And it does seem a sad thing for to have to say

That there is not a shortage of narcissistic people in the Human World of today

Since of a good future for humanity they help for to plant the seed

Of more with a healthy form of self love the Human World is in need

That narcissists are bereft of love is not saying what is new 

And their sort in the World are not of the few.

The War Deserter

 It is out of war dead soldiers that war heroes are made

But they do not march in the street war parade

And though from memory the living patriots do not allow them to fade

They do not hear the bugle when The Last Post for them is played

Though ageing the war deserter from his homeland far away

Is one of the happily living today

He will die as a coward many of him do say

And for him there will never be a hooray

And though he is not one the praises of the patriots will sing

In choosing life over death did he do the wrong thing?

For becoming a war hero he did not wish to die brave

It is for the love of life he will go to his grave

An octogenarian living with his long term wife

He is one who is not unhappy in his life

Though many may blame him for what to them is the wrong thing he has done

In living he helped to give life to a daughter and son.

A True Individual

 His own or the praises of  others he never does sing

The true individual he does his own thing

He is not into religion, politics or sports or football

What is of interest to many to him of no interest at all

He is not a member of any community club

Or he never does patronize the local pub

To very few people he seems to be known

He minds his own business his life is his own

He does not have in him the desire to lead

And of him one never does hear of  or read

One can say of him he is of a rare breed

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

Though he has no desire to be wealthy and well known

He is one who does have a life of his own.

Old Jim

 The hair on his balding head is silver grey

Old Jim is a man who has little to say

When asked what life for him was like in his prime

His answer this is going back quite a long time

I am much slower and frailer now than i was then

Like all of the town's older women and men

Divorced by his wife ten years ago 

Old Jim says that time it has become his foe

Their marriage it lasted a forty five years time span

She will live out her life with a far younger man

A great grandfather far better days of in life he surely of has known

In his red brick two bedroom unit he lives on his own

Old Jim says we should learn as we live and this not a lie

From life every day until the day we do die.

A Typical October Day

 On lush grass chewing their cuds the black two year old steers lay

In good health and plump looking gaining weight by the day

They little realize that the end for them is near

That they will not be alive for the Spring of next year

Above the paddocks in the grey morning sky

On pursuit of flying insects the dark swallows fly

In mud nest on shed rafters nearby they have young for to feed

Survival of their genes for them in their young is a natural need

In the southern October great natural beauty to be seen

The countryside looking so healthy and green

The paddocks resplendent in their Nature's flowers

That have come to bloom after recent Spring showers

The nesting birds are singing on the bushes and trees

Their music is carrying in the freshening breeze

That blow up the hill from the saltwater bay

On what is a typical October day.

Not An Easy Human World

 Not an easy Human World to live in today

Where for anyone poor there is never a hooray

Where billions of people for this thing as success compete

And every day brings a new challenge to meet 

In a World where the admiration of the many does go to the few

And this is not saying anything that is new

Where the amount of money you possess says more about you

Than any other thing ever can do

For billions of people it cannot be a nice World to live in

Where money and material things admirers and friends for you win

No not for the children of the children of the lesser gods

Who were born into life for to battle the odds

A good World to live in for the minority

But not for the billions born into poverty.

Pallid Cuckoos

 Grey and white average sized birds  pallid cuckoos the name they are known by

Quite swift of wings when you do see them fly

They have a monotonous sort of whistling song

Once seen and once heard you never again get them wrong

The female a nest parasite her white brown dotted eggs she lay

In nests of other birds no other part in motherhood she does play

Though birds that one does not see every day

Australia's most common cuckoo in truth one can say

Migratory by Nature as most cuckoos are

Their aerial journeys take them to places far

From where they first looked on the light of day

Not territorial in any sort of a way

Wild berries and smaller fruits they like to eat

And hairy caterpillars to their taste buds a treat.

You Have It In You

 You have it in you the power within

To make the World better for to live in

Just treat other people as you would like them to treat you

And if you cannot help them wrong to them do not do

Those who willingly give can expect to receive

The laws of Karma should not be hard to believe

Those of kindness, generosity and compassion are quite lucky indeed

For their future good Karma they sow the good seed

For the wrongs you do to others there is some price to pay

If not to human law then to Karma one day

They are never an asset to their side of the town

Those who in their words like to drag others down

You have it in you the power within

To make the World better to live in.

Why Blame Yourself

 They did not bring the cup with them back to the town

And you feel in a way that you left your club down 

That your best game you did not play

But you were just one of a team who lost to a better team on the day

On feeling the way you do on yourself you are a bit tough

Since you did try your best though your best was not good enough

The end result was a thing you never would choose

But for the other team for to win your team had to lose

And to them with winning goes all of the glory and fame

But having this said it is only a game

Since you did try your best yourself you ought not to blame

To be on the losing side should not be a blot on your name

Despite the club's loss in the final life will go on in the town

And why blame yourself for leaving the side down.

You May Dismiss Him

 You may dismiss him as one who does lose

But you are not the one who lives in his shoes

And you cannot see the sadness in his mind

So why  in your words of him are you so unkind?

Any of his bills or expenses you never pay

And he has never harmed you in any sort of a way

He just struggles on through life from day to day

And of anyone never has unkind things to say

As one of the judgmental people of the town

You find pleasure in putting poor people like him down

Yet he is one to you who is all but unknown

Are you one who does not have a life of your own?

In a financial hole he is one who is stuck

One of many in the town who is down on his luck

The judgmental like you are not of the few

And this is not saying anything that is new.

Not Every Love Story

 She may only want you as a friend in her life

The woman you love may not become your wife 

Love to be true must be shared by two

The one that you love she may not love you

It is better to love and to fail than never feel love at all

The words of someone wise worthy of recall

In one love's for another there can be disappointment at stake

A feeling that gives rise to mental love ache

Love the inspiration of the writers of song, story and rhyme

May fade rather quickly or live a lifetime

That in love there is strong feelings there can be little doubt

And those who have never felt love for another on these things lose out

But not every love story has a happy end

It can have it's disappointments why otherwise pretend.

Death Is Not All Bad

 Time on our lives ever ticking away

And at the stroke of midnight the past will be today 

And memories are all that we have of the past

This is as long as our gift of memory with us last

Like all other life forms we are born to die

That death is for everyone is not a lie

Tomorrow's sunrise some will not live to see

To the earth that feeds us we return eventually

Three score and ten years the average human life span

A few years more for a woman than it is for a man

Death treats as equal the great and the small

Eventually time catches up on us all

No rank or class distinction in a cemetery

Death is not all bad would you not agree?

Back Home Again

 Just west of the Duhallow Town of Millstreet

I walk through the fields to where the waterways meet

The hawthorns are cloaked in their blossoms of pale grey

And the wild birds are singing on an evening in May

On a green and quite beautiful time of the year

The flute of the curlew is so pleasant to hear

The large long billed brown mottled bird with the beautiful song

That once heard one is not likely again to get wrong

In a rushy field by old river Finnow

To her young calf the soft lowing of a cow

A memory to cherish and for to retain

And in the memory bank a lifetime to remain

And as the shades of twilight are darkening the sky

The male snipe above his territory does fly

And with wings and tail makes a goat like or drumming sound

As above the quiet bogland he flies around

 

Old memories awaken when we visualize

And the past is not so distant we come to realize

The old fields resplendent in their flowers so green after Spring rain

And on my flights of fancy i am back home again.

Be Kind To Your Friends

 Be kind to your friends for your friends are so few

And this is not saying anything that is new

When you were in trouble they stood by you

Your friends any harm to you would never do

When you were doing it tough on your side of the town

Your friends stood by you they did not leave you down

And now that you are wealthy from them do not turn away

When you needed them true to you they did stay

For their loyalty in your tough times give them the credit they are due

When others choose to ignore you they remained true

When you were hungry and often had to sleep rough

Your friends stood by you when life on you was tough

Be kind to your friends and remember the past

When you were in trouble by you they stood fast.

If There Is A God

 If there is a god this god is for everyone

And not for the monarchs and their daughter and son 

And not for the celebrity and multi billionaire

For the poor of the World the true god would care

If there is a god it may not be a he

Despite what many say it may well be a she

And this god would bring peace between people Worldwide

A true god would never cause people divide

If there is a god this god would be compassionate and kind

And to the suffering of poor people would not be blind

The god men go to war for is not a true god

Though billions of people believe on such a supreme being does seem rather odd

If there is a god this god would love all

As well as humans creatures from the great to the small

And for a better World to live in would sow the good seed

In the twenty first century of such a god we are of in need.

Today On The Street

 Today on the street as you walk up and down

You are looked on by many as a hero of the town

Your fan club in numbers with each passing day grow

And the pride you do feel on your face it does show

But for you to win big others had to lose out

Suppose in a way this is what life is about

In l;ife it does seem you have achieved your desire

It is only the winners that the masses admire

Like many other big winners of the day

With your successes you tend to get carried away

The look of smugness does show on your face

Suppose i too would be like you were i in your place

It is hard to stay humble if you know of great fame

When everyone on the street greets you by name

But the losers are many and the big winners are few

And this is not saying anything that is new

The look of smugness it does show on your face

Suppose it is not easy to win in grace

Most people do greet you as you walk on the street

The winner is the one they feel happy to meet.

Joe The Bay Pony

 The bay pony Joe in the paddock is growing old on his own

And of far happier days in life he has known

But on looking back the Seasons this now seems long ago

And time that ages has become his foe

At jumping events at many a regional town show

With young blond haired Evelyn on his back of great success he did know

A great jumping horse for one of his size

Together as a team they often won first prize

On his sixteenth year time is not on Joe's side

He is one who has had his moments of pride

But only the memories with him now remain

Of what used to be but will not be again

Evelyn his best human friend now in her life's prime

With her two years old daughter in her arms visits him from time to time

Just seeing her brings back to him many a good memory

Of his better days in the what used to be

With time on his life ever ticking away

Joe the bay pony has known of a far better day

Since he and Evelyn often won fiorst prize at shows years ago

Time that rusts iron has become his foe.

It Is Only The Thought Of It

 Every day we live death to us one day more near

But it is only the thought of it that we do fear

For death in itself is a natural thing

And equality to all people with it does bring

The town's wealthiest person was buried today

Now she is poorer than the poorest of the living of her one can say

And though the poorest of the living are struggling to cope

At least they are living and where there is life there is hope

The town's wealthiest person she lost all hope today

She does not have a future where she now does lay

One can say of her that she had her good years

But she did not hear the sobbing for her of the farewell tears

Death makes us all equal in truth one can say

The town's wealthiest person was buried today.

Young Self Centered Jim

 He is so egotistical young self centered Jim

He believes that the World revolves around  him

Any humility if he ever did have it in him is long dead

One might say with him it is all in his head

For ego he is one who does carry the flag

Of his sexual prowess he does like to brag

But himself as a lover he does over-rate

In his stories he tends for to exaggerate

In many of his attempts at wooing he has received the knock back

Many of the young women of the town says in charm he does lack

His last girlfriend she left him though he had asked her to become his wife

She feels happier now with a new man in her life

He likes to boast of his sexual conquests Jim

Though few women have nice things to say of him.

Will Have Them For To Blame

 Everyone who becomes a billionaire out of damage to the natural environment is a tainted billionaire

And it seems sad to say that their sort are not rare

Mother Earth who feeds us all is suffering due to human greed

And of many more friends she is badly in need

Everyone who grows financially wealthy out of damaging the environment are committing a serious crime

And far better than they are in jail serving time

The future generations of people may not have nice things to say

About some of the billionaires of the world of today

For the damage we do to our Earth Mother it is they who will pay

In famines and food shortages humanity is heading on this way

What we do to our Earth Mother to our own selves we do

This is how it seems to me however it seems to you

Those who have become billionaires out of abusing Mother Earth may know of wealth and fame

But future generations for their poverty will have them for to blame.

I Meet With God

 In a Human World where many lose for one to have a big win

The only god i know of lives within

The confines of the individual human mind

The god of love who is compassionate and kind

The universal god we hear of and read so much about

Who has many followers Worldwide in Lands north, east, west and south

A god who is invisible to humanity

The god of many is not a god to me

Though many who know her for helping others think of her as a bit odd

My ageing neighbour to me is a god

Though she never goes to church to a god to pray

She helps the poor of the town every day

A grey haired woman she smiles and greets everyone when walking on the street

I meet with god whenever her i do meet.

Change For The Better

 From Millstreet Town and Claraghatlea i live far away

But i often think of them at least once a day 

I believe that the changes there are happening fast

But then few things in life ever does seem to last

New people with their cultures and food change for the better does bring

And change for the better is always a good thing

The Duhallow i knew of was a monocultural place

But nowadays i believe there you would meet people of many a differernt nationality and race

And Duhallow is much the better for this i must say

Though not everyone does look on this in this way

In Claraghatlea just west of the Town of Millstreet

In the green countryside where the waterways meet

Today i may be a stranger to many where i lived for many years

Though for the what used to be i have shed my last tears.

A Morning In Spring

 A morning in Spring in late October the sunless sky it is overcast and gray 

On Commercial Road not many cars and trucks in Koroit Town it is a rather quiet day

One might say it is pleasant enough weather somewhere between warm and cool

In Koroit an old rural Town in the Moyne Shire sixteen kilometres from the City of Warrnambool

The blackbirds are singing and the magpies are warbling their voices familiar and pleasant to hear

The southern October is always quite pleasant in what is always a green time of the year

Some days one can say are not very sunny in October in Spring in the Moyne Shire

In the Koroit botanical gardens so much natural beauty for to admire

The nesting wild birds are chirping and singing and everywhere looking so healthy and green

In Nature in Spring there is always great beauty everywhere you look for to be seen

Koroit on a sunless October morning not much is happening in the old town

Commercial Road has seldom been quieter few cars and trucks pass up and down

But in the botanical gardens the wild birds are singing the voices of Nature so pleasant to hear

In what is a beautiful place in the Moyne Shire in the Springtime of the southern year.

Mother Earth And Nature's Friend

 She is one who does know a lot about Nature of Nature she is learning every day

But of Nature she says she has so much to learn she is rather humble of her one can say

The more we do know the less we know is something she obviously does realize

She is one of those people who is very knowledgeable and as she grows older she keeps growing wise

She knows so much about the creatures of Nature and recognize most birds unseen just by their song

But she will tell you she does not always get it right there are times when she has been proven wrong

Most of those who know a lot about Nature do never even know of local renown

She is one who is a stranger to many and goes unnoticed on her side of town

She is one who loves all of Nature's creatures of more people like her Mother Earth is in need

One can say that for her future good Karma she is one of those who do sow the good seed

She is one who attend the protest rallies against the logging  of old growth trees

And to defend Nature and Mother Earth every opportunity she seize

One of the people the developers nickname tree huggers for to defend Nature against her attackers Mother Earth she defend

And it can be said of Mother Earth and Nature that they are in need of every friend.

On Covid-19

 Whether you are a  young person  or your best days in life you have seen

Beware of this virus known as COVID-19 

Millions of people have been affected by it Worldwide

And it is said  at least a million of it already have died

And many affected by it have become seriously ill

It can harm your health for life if you it does not kill

Due to COVID-19 many for their dead are left to grieve and weep

Wash your hands wear a mask and your safe distance from others keep

It can be quite lethal from all we read of it and of it do hear

COVID-19 is a thing we should fear

At least a m,illion people of it have been known for to die

COVID-19 deniers like Climate Change deniers believe their own lie

In China it has it's source in the City of Wuhan

COVID -19 has killed many a young person and ageing woman and man.

Since I Last Saw Duhallow

 That nostalgia is linked in memory to the past it's own self does explain 

And like most migrants memories of what was good and bad i retain

That until i draw my last breath in me will remain

I often wonder will i ever see old Duhallow again

Of the fields of the badger and waterways of the brown trout

The yearn for adventure did bring me far south

And only the mental images are with me today

Of faces and places i knew far away

I believe in the Duhallow i was raised in change is happening fast

And only the memories remain of the past

I may never again see the Boggeraghs in snow

When the chill winds of Winter down the high country blow

And i may never again on an evening in Spring

On a leafy birch tree hear a male chaffinch sing

When the old fields are in their wildflowers of the May

That good memories die hard only true for to say

Since i last saw Duhallow it seems long ago

And time that ages all things has become my foe

And only the memories today are with me

Of the long ago and the what used to be.

Why Do Us Humans

 Why do us humans destroy Nature's beauty are we so self centered that we cannot see

That we are robbing future generations of people beauty that to us to view is monetary free

Due to our greed wildlife disappearing this is a sad thing for to have to say

More species of wildlife of land and of water on the endangered list of the of the World of today

A paper deed gives us right to land ownership though in our thinking we have it all wrong

How can we own the Mother Earth who feeds us since like all other creatures to her we belong

Logging of old growth forests should not be allowed most species of parrots do not have tree cavities to nest in

Human greed it seems is ruining our Planet on the abuse of Mother Earth eventually for anyone not a win

Human induced Global Warming gives rise to Climate Change due to the thinning ice the great polar bear

In the wild state are now an endangered species and most species of wildlife are becoming rare

Our Mother Earth gives us the right to live on her and with her other life forms her lands for to share

And what to her we do to our own selves we do of this so few of us do seem aware

Why do us humans destroy Nature's beauty Mother Earth who feeds us we abuse every day

Due to our greed future generations of people will be all the poorer for it and this seems sad to say.

A Wealthy Woman's Toy Poodle

 I would love to be reincarnated as a wealthy woman's toy poodle

One who is not anyone's partner or anyone's wife

I would be the centre of  her love and attention

Since she does not have any children in her life

She would take me on car drives cuddle me in her arms

How lucky could any dog wish for to be

Sleep on her bed in her heated bedroom

And of any care or worry feel totally free

Feed me on the best diced meat that money can buy

And i would live the life other dogs of only do dream

My human female friend would treat me as her hero

Even share with me her cookies and cream

As a dog i would be one of the rare lucky

Since many dogs like many humans are born into poverty

I would be one who would be loved and needed

And admired as canine aristocracy

I would love to be reincarnated as a wealthy woman's toy poodle

Far luckier and far more privileged than most dogs are 

Feeling  self important as she takes me out driving

Sitting beside her on the front seat of her car.

There Will Be A Price

 Though many are lacking in the inner glow

In life they do not seem to reap what they do sow

Dishonest in their dealings they grow wealthier by the day

Yet to Karma a price they do not seem to pay

But since the laws of Karma does affect us all

Eventually to them it may pay a call

If not in the near future at a later date

Then for to reform for them it will be too late

On how we treat others we do have a say

And what goes around comes around life works in this way

If the law cannot punish you in prison time

To Karma you will have to pay for your crime

Since what goes around comes around as a truism remain

There will be a price for your ill gotten gain.

The Friend Of My Enemy

 As a very wise person did say long ago

That the friend of my enemy is my potential foe

And since we share one thing in common it does seem to be

That the enemy of my enemy is a friend to me

Some of our human friendships are based on mutual mistrust

Of those we believe to us who have been unjust

Though most do believe on live and let live

We can find it very hard for to forgive

Those who have taken advantage of us in some way

Any respect to them we never could pay

To forgive to many would seem a loss of pride

Suppose this is what happens when egos collide

For the enemy of my enemy my liking does grow

Though she or he may be lacking in the inner glow.

On Australian Magpies

 The flute like melodious warbling so pleasant to hear

Of the birds who do sing every day of the year

All over Australia they are widely known

The black and white birds who have ways of their own

Birds once seen and once heard that again you will know

The black and white Australian magpies as large as a crow

In defense of their territory courage they do not lack

And some of them at nesting time humans do even attack

High on a tree in a nest of sticks mostly lined with grass the female bird lay

Two to three pink dotted blue eggs from view not well hidden away

That as a family group against all comers they vigorously defend

At breeding time outside of their family group none to them a friend

They eat insects and worms and on small birds, frogs and mice prey

These birds one does hear and see every day

Often seen and heard in town parks and in the countryside

Birds familiar to everyone Australia wide.

One Of The Tribeless

 Since to your higher self you try to live as true

Why should you even care of the opinions others have of you

They do not pay your bills or support you in any way

So why should you worry of what of you they do say

You never harm anyone and earn your every pay

And in your working week for you never an easy day

Your own praises or the praises of others you never does sing

And you live in your own way and do your own thing

You are not a member of any local community or sporting club

And you never drink in the local pub

In the tribal World we live in today

For not being part of a tribe there is some price to pay

It is because you are tribeless you they criticize

Which you will eventually come to realize.

With Dreams In His Head

 With dreams in his head of a great life elsewhere

He went on his adventure in the big World out there

But that was way back in nineteen sixty three

He is now not the man that he then used to be

In the big World he has travelled far and wide

Far from his first hometown in the northern countryside

Ten times a great grandfather divorced from his third wife

A man who has led an adventurous life

His travelling days over and his better days long gone

And time on his life ever ticking on

An ageing frail man grey in his receding hair

In a retirement home in his room he spends his days in a wheelchair

Far from his first hometown he may breathe his last

The one who has had an adventurous past.

A Far Bigger Threat

 Climate Change is a far bigger threat to humanity than C O V  I  D-19

But lately on the media little i have heard of it or of seen

It seems that the idea is just to ignore it and it will go away

This is far from clever thinking in truth one can say

It is said that Worldwide from C O V  I  D-19 at least a million people will die

But those who believe that it is a greater threat to humanity than Climate Change believe their own lie

For Climate Change to the existence of human beings than C O V I D-19  is far greater threat

For many in Climate Change face the prospect of hunger and an early death

Worldwide in the year 2020 in the news headlines C O V I D-19 to the fore

The greater threats of Global Warming and Climate Change billions of people ignore

C O V  I  D-19  is on the news headlines almost every day

And this seems a sad thing for to have to say

The threat of Climate Change to the existence of humanity is obviously clear

But the Worldwide pandemic  C O V I  D-19 to many is a far greater fear.

That Your Dog Sees In You

 Many may admire you for the size of your home or your brand new motor car

But are you as great a person as that your dog thinks you are?

For in your dog's eyes you are truly a god

And as great a person as you on the Earth never trod

Of how wealthy or poor you are your dog does not care

It is only of your greatness she or he seems aware

To your dog you are one of flaws who is free

But the person your dog thinks you are you never could be

For a walk a few kind words and a good feed every day

Your dog as your true friend it's lifetime will stay

You do not have an equal in your dog's eyes

And that you have flaws she or he does not seem to realize

Your dog only sees you as compassionate, loving and kind

And to any flaws you have seems totally blind

That you would be a living saint only happens to be true

Were you the person that your dog sees in you.

It Is An Old Saying

 It is an old saying well worthy of recall

That a fair go for some is not a fair go for all 

The ism's in the Human World are rife today

And on bad feelings between races and genders a huge part does play

Racism, ageism and sexism in human relations Worldwide

Are among the main causes of people divide

A lack of love and intolerance of difference between people leads to disharmony

And mistrust and dislike is how it seems to be

All of these things together of hatred sow the seed

Of more love and tolerance between people the Human World of is in need

Good political leaders in the World of today in the few

That many of them to succeed people divide is not any thing that is new

We need more love and tolerance and understanding of each other in the World of today

But having this said words are easy to say

On Wombats

 Due to intensified farming and ploughing and Climate Change

Wombats are becoming rarer within their range

The World's largest burrowing marsupials are endangered it does appear

Their numbers are on the decrease by the year

On their dwindling numbers the increase in traffic also playing a role

On the roadways in recent years cars and trucks on them has been taking toll

Wombats for their survival of more human friends are in need

But sad for to say that they are rare indeed

Quite beautiful creatures of them one can say

In many places where they used to live they are not to be seen today

To wombats human industry has become a foe

And as well to many other species of wildlife this happens to be so

In their dwindling range their numbers are few

That wombats are in trouble is not saying what is new.

The Ocean Is Roaring

 A sound and a scene that is forever more

The rumbling of the saltwater waves on the rocky shore

Long before the first human being looked on the light of day

The white waves rolled in to the deserted bay

The oceans are old so very old in time

They have inspired the writers of song, story and rhyme

For to write about them they do inspire awe

They never will be subject to human law

The crashing of the huge waves on the rocks on the forseshore when the tide is in

To sensitive ears can sound a loud din

But this for the ocean is anger release

And the oceans they too have their times of peace

On an October evening just before sundown

The ocean is roaring by the old coastal town.

In The Eyes Of The Beholder

 Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder as we are told

And physical beauty lose out to time as people grow old 

Age on the physically attractive does show

But those of inner beauty never lose their inner glow

That physical beauty is only skin deep as a truism remain

The meaning in this it's own self does explain

To beauty there is more than one meaning as most would agree

And the inner beauty the eyes cannot see

Those of inner beauty generous and kind in every way

And they perform a good deed or more every day

For their future good Karma they plant the good seed

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

Beauty has many faces as everyone  know

Though many of physical beauty lack in the inner glow.

She Will Never Again

She will never again have a man in her life

Since in her marriage she was a bashed wife

A fifty years old divorcee

Of love's darker side she is one who is free

Some twenty years past her physical prime

A grandmother for the seventh time

Quite happily living on her own

Of tough times she is one who has known

She will never marry again

As single she has vowed to remain

As a divorcee she has vowed to die

And she is one who is not known to lie

She swears by the heavens up above

That she is done with men and love.

None Their Praises Will Sing

 Climate change affects all life forms from the great to the small

From the blue whales to the tiniest creatures that crawl

On the face of our Earth Mother the one who feeds all

Living things and the words of the wise and well informed worthy of recall

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

Advice that applies to everyone and this includes me and you

That us humans abuse our Earth Mother who feeds us to say the least strange

Environmental scientists are right to blame us as the instigators of Climate Change

The future generations of human beings for our environmental abuse will have to pay

And of us they will not have any nice things to say

The materially wealthy leaders of industry the impressionable admire

And of singing their praises never seem to tire

But since their greed for Mother Earth's riches change for the worst will bring

In a hundred years from now none their praises will sing.

It Happens Everyday

It happens every day locally and Worldwide

To billions of people a source for personal and family pride

Most of us others do love to impress

In this need we do harbour for this  thing known as success

In the twenty first century self promotion is an in thing

So many their own praises does love to sing

The days of humility are in the past

But then few things in life ever does seem to last

The humble one nowadays few seem to admire

And for to be like them do not feel any desire

So many Worldwide wish to become a great name

And compete with each other for wealth and fame

In the twenty first century sad as it does seem

Humility does nothing for one's self esteem.

Somebody's Darling

 By a hit and run driver on the roadway

Somebody's darling left to die today

For one in her early twenties so young in years

Among her family and friends the shedding of tears

Crossing the roadway by the rural town

By a speeding motorist she was run down

The hit and run driver the police vow to find

The law has a dim view on her or his kind

She was one death did come to quite fast

Three hundred metres from her home she breathed her last

Her family in shock and disbelief

It will take years of time for to heal their grief

One who to her family and friends was dear

On the radio news of her death sad to hear

Though she is one who is a stranger to me

Such sad news does give rise to empathy

A long and a happy life should have been her due

But that death can come quite unexpected happens to be true

By a hit and run driver on the roadway

Somebody's darling she died today

I Cannot Lay Claim

 I cannot lay claim to the title of poet

Nor am i a rhymer who is worthy of literary note

And though an ordinary rhymer is the best i can be

Rhyming is soothing to the soul in me

And though my worth as a rhymer i have reason to doubt

Never a shortage of things for to write rhymes about

The rhymes keep on coming to me in notebook i pen them down

Just for the love of doing it not for money or renown

With rhyming words i am one who just loves to play

In my walks they do come to me every day

The years may leave us older and balding and grey

But we learn as we live as the wise one does say

I find rhyming an antidote for inner strife

And no shortage of things to write of in nature and life

There is more to the bird would you not agree

That you see and hear singing on the sunlit tree?

My rhymes have been born of laughter and tears

And i have been writing them for decades of years

And if i said i will retire from rhyming this would be a lie

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

In A Morning In Early November

 In a morning in early November in the grey of the dawn

The salmon are swimming upriver to spawn

The strong urge it is in them for to breed

And of luck on their side they are surely in need

Since for them it is not a safe time of year

At night the poachers are out with gaff and spear

And to survive to return to saltwater they need luck on their side

Since in the rivers in November many of their sort have died

In early November from the bracken hill

The winds of late Autumn blow with a cold chill

And the salmon upriver are swimming their way

In the grey dawn of a cold and blustery day

But unbeknown to them they are in dangerous territory

Far from the deep waters of the distant sea.

I Would Rather

 I would rather be known as a loser any day

Than being seen as a winner though i was dishonest in my way

In my climb to the top of the hill of success

And many impressionable people i do impress

If the money that brings me the admiration of many was not acquired honestly

And others have become poorer all because of me

I would rather be as i am a stranger to fame

One of the poorer sort without any achievements to my name

To some people to become wealthy by deception is quite okay

Dishonesty for them does financially pay

As long as the law does not define their business transactions as a crime

Though they are  no more honest than many in prison who are serving time

What to them is good business acumen is not what good business is about

Since they knew in their business dealings that others would financially in a big way lose out

Though they become wealthy and famous through their many a deceptive deal

Their sort of achievements to me does not appeal.

Nature's Law And Human Law

 The predatory animal, bird and fish have to kill to survive

Smaller creatures must die for them to survive

Quite innocent killers of them one can say

To kill to survive is their natural way

Since in the laws of Nature guilt or shame does not belong

To kill and eat a human being to a shark is not wrong

It is only in human law that taking of human life does apply

With the exception of war of this one must wonder why

A true fact of Nature and fact never lie

Nature's predators have to kill to live or of hunger die

But a human will kill an animal or a bird for fun with their gun

And leave them to rot in the heat of the sun

Nature's law and human law are as different as day is from night

In Nature's law there is never wrong or right.