Monday, November 30, 2020

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.

Sunday, November 29, 2020

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.

Saturday, November 28, 2020

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.

Friday, November 27, 2020

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.

Thursday, November 26, 2020

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.

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

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.

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

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.

Monday, November 23, 2020

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?

Sunday, November 22, 2020

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.

Saturday, November 21, 2020

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.

Friday, November 20, 2020

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.

Thursday, November 19, 2020

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?

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

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.

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

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.

Monday, November 16, 2020

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.

Sunday, November 15, 2020

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.

Saturday, November 14, 2020

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.

Friday, November 13, 2020

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.

Thursday, November 12, 2020

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.

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

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

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

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.

Friday, November 6, 2020

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.

Thursday, November 5, 2020

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.

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

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.